To wake up each day and greet another sunrise is a blessing and a miracle. To see and touch the first-morning dew is a joy that gives hope and strength to keep going. Sadly, we have missed more than 30,000 Malaysians who died of Covid-19, and no longer can see the sunrise.
“We are blessed, gifted, grateful and thankful to live another day. But for those who have left us, we feel the loss and the pain. We grieve and mourn, but the void can never be replaced. We sadly miss you all, and we extend our prayers and heartfelt gratitude for being a part of our lives and having served this community that we shared,” as the author I pay tribute in my opening dedication page, of the book titled IF THE DYING COULD SPEAK.
This is Malaysia’s first Covid-19 e-book, IF THE DYING COULD SPEAK, dedicated to those surviving, dying, and the dead. The online book was released by Malaysia’s e-sentral ebookstore on Friday, Dec 3, 2021.
The dedication page continues: “Life is a journey and as we come to the final stop, we begin to realise that all the titles, accolades, scrolls, and riches that we have acquired no longer matter.
In the final analysis, it is not about the hours we toiled over work, the properties that we acquired, the arguments we have won, and the wealth that we accumulated that matters. What counts will be the moments that we shared, the character that we built, and the love given generously to all.
Ultimately, it is about how we have made someone else feel through our words and actions; it is a life well-lived, and a life lived with gratitude and love. Perhaps, a life of significance.”
At 72, I decided to write this book after retiring as a journalist and associate professor. The book chronicles healthcare experts, columnists, and the next of kin of the dead reveal in-depth anecdotes of how the dying gasped for their last breath.
Jenny Maganran Goh, a senior lecturer at Xiamen University Malaysia in the foreword says, “IF THE DYING COULD SPEAK is unprecedented; it is a bold and laudable initiative to present insights and lessons shared by Malaysian health experts, as well as to highlight the plight of ordinary people, especially the victims of COVID-19.
These are poignant reminders that we can glean from best practices in healthcare management. Krishnamoorthy tells the story as it is, or in the author’s words — documenting news, comments, and stories as events unfold for the record.
The book takes readers on a sobering journey to the man who breathed his last without the comfort of his family. Describes scenes of how a mother and celebrity gave birth but could never cuddle her baby. Most of the appreciation was for frontliners who worked beyond 24 hours in the hour of the nation’s need.
Through 33 personal anecdotal chapters along with news articles, commentaries and insights, Krishnamoorthy shows how the Malaysian psyche changed during the pandemic.
Indeed, it is a story of soul-searching stories about hurt and healing, abuse and forgiveness, gloom and glory, and tears and triumph. He salutes the ordinary people doing extraordinary acts of kindness in a pandemic. This is certainly a fresh narrative of people caught in a historic crisis, and is set to prick our emotions to the core.”
As a writer and journalist for more than 35 years, it is my earnest intention not to highlight human flaws but rather to celebrate the beauty and unity of humanity working in unison despite the healthcare weakness in the system.
All I could do personally was clasp a silent prayer a few times a day for those in hospital and sick beds. The selfless act of thinking of the COVID-19 victims humbled me beyond my selfish self. I found love, meditative peace and harmony in myself, praying with Malaysians for the ailing and dying.
It is with much hope that this book, IF THE DYING COULD SPEAK, will help decision-makers learn from health experts on innovative and viable healthcare strategies. As we recover from the pandemic, let’s plan, and look back on what we did well and what we did not. Such thinking is progressive for the nation and for us to grow together.
There is no need to be rude or provocative in our discussion. We do not aspire to belittle or hurt anyone; we hope to give each a voice on what concerns us – life, death, and livelihood.
This is a book about making sense of the news. Hearing news of people dying by the hundreds daily and running into thousands overall because of the COVID-19 virus is something my mind could not comprehend. Therefore, our healthcare services should drive towards restoration: reset and reboot.
During a pandemic, the Government’s mission should be to reduce the burden on the people. It must implement Standard Operating Procedures (SOPs), which are more transparent and straightforward.
Together with Malaysians, I strived to record Malaysian narratives to help improve healthcare services and reduce the daily death count. At the same time, I endeavour to make sense of the news of people dying. In my social activism, advocacy and educational approach towards informing the public of COVID-19, I ensure my message is clear by getting feedback from friends.
People have betrayed, intimidated, cheated and humiliated me and maybe even you; I overcome the stress by taking a few deep breaths to relax and meditate. I forgive, forget and ignore those who have insulted me.
For most of us, relationships are significant. I grew up with my parents instilling in me to forgive and forget. “Those were the days.” Do you remember the lyrics? “We’d sing and dance forever and a day; We’d live the life we choose; We’d fight and never lose; For we were young and sure to have our way.”
Musical lyrics soothe our minds. In all the gloom and doom of rising deaths, I introduce at the beginning of chapters, touching, caring and loving song lyrics (extracts) that gave me a balance in mind, body and soul.
Now, as I continue to write as a freelancer, what my conscience tells me. We cannot hide facts as the death toll keeps increasing. I salute the individuals who took the higher ground, helping others set the stage for more recoveries among the dying.
They set the foundation of hope, dreams, and aspirations for a new beginning as more Malaysians unite to serve and stay more substantially together. Malaysia will continue to be great again. Hopefully, in the words of the first prime minister of Malaysia Tunku Abdul Rahman, “May Malaysia be a beacon of light in a dark and restless, distracted and disturbed world”.
Readers can access the e-book first hand E-Sentral eBookstore via respective app stores on https://www.e-sentral.com/book/info/349041. The e-book comes at an introductory offer of RM 20. E-Sentral Ebook portal https://www.e-sentral.com is Malaysia’s biggest e-book store.
M.Krishnamoorthy is a freelance journalist and has been a local producer for CNN, BBC, Al Jazeera, Australian TV networks. He has also freelanced for the New York Times, TIME, Sydney Morning Herald and worked for The Star and New Straits for 35 years. He is the author of six books and his latest May 9 — People Power Saves Malaysia — Mahathir Leads the Way, was the bestseller for five months last year following the GE 14 in Malaysia. Last year, he retired as Associate Professor at an international university.