Finding the Light in Darkness: The Good Side of 2020
Covid-19. Social distancing. Zoom calls. Quarantine. Lockdown. Deaths.
Do these words sound familiar? Well, unless you’ve been comatose throughout 2020, these were the most popular terms used throughout ‘the year that shall not be named’.
2020 was indeed a year of turbulence — news about the pandemic, deaths and various social issues took the year to new lows. With many people resorting to working and learning from the comforts of their home (and in their sweatpants), there was an increase in domestic and child abuse too. This, topped off with financial woes by the general public and government instability (Read: The Sheraton Move) made 2020 a year where everyone’s survival instincts were on edge.
However, as a person who believes in finding the light in the midst of the darkness, I believe that there were many groundbreaking news last year from all across the world — that were surprisingly positive.
Lo and behold, dear readers!
Presenting You: The Most Positive News from 2020 (also known as, the Good Side of 2020)
WORLD
Removal of Marijuana for Medicinal Purposes from World’s Most Dangerous Drugs List
The debate to use medicinal marijuana has been a lengthy one, indeed, with some citing addiction as one of its cons. However, on the 2nd of December 2020, the United Nations removed it from the category of the world’s most dangerous drugs list. Moving on, it is now classified as a “Less Dangerous Drug”. This breakthrough would ultimately pave way for the medical usage of marijuana after thorough research.
Free Sanitary Products to Tackle Period Poverty
In an applaudable move by the Scottish government, universal access to period products in the land of bagpipes is now free. This means, tampons and sanitary pads in Scotland’s public buildings are now a legal right. On a side note, New Zealand has also started providing free sanitary products in schools across the country.
“Parasite” Wins Big at the Academy Awards
After a battle against the world’s best films, this movie directed by Bong Joon Ho won not one, but four awards (Best Picture, Best Directing, Best International Feature Film and Best Writing (Original Screenplay)) at the coveted Academy Awards. This is a feather in the cap for the epic fight for more Asian representation in prestigious award ceremonies.
Crayola Launches Box of Crayons with Diverse Skin Tones
Growing up, it had always been a struggle to colour in faces and body parts in drawings. It was either beige or brown — neither of them matching our actual skin tones. We first saw cosmetics companies (Maybelline, Fenty Beauty) with a diverse range of foundation shades (although not widely available in Malaysia). Now, Crayola decided to launch their very own box of crayons with a diverse skin tone range. Kudos to them!
Kamala Harris Became the First Woman Vice President-elect of the United States
When Joe Biden won the presidential elections back in November, all eyes were definitely on Kamala Harris, the first Woman Vice President of Black-Indian Heritage. This was a great feat for the Asian-American community specifically after the stereotyping plague took over Western countries. The Biden-Harris win also witnessed a record number of LGBTQ+ people being elected to Congress.
ASIA + AFRICA
LGBTQIA+ Movement in Taiwan
The LGBTQIA+ movement in Taiwan has definitely come a long way — a great feat for an Asian country, in fact. In October, Taiwan’s pride rally witnessed more than 130,000 attending it. It came after the day two same sex-couples joined a mass wedding hosted by the military for the first time (definitely a good example for other hard-headed Asian countries)
The Status of Child Marriage in Middle Eastern Countries
In spite for their secularism and religious nature, both Saudi Arabia and Palestine banned child marriages last year, making 18, the minimum age for marriage. This is a huge feat for women and children rights activists. However, other Asian countries have a long way to go in banning child marriages. Let’s see what 2021 holds for this long-standing issue.
Climate Pledges in East Asian Countries
The uphill battle to ensure these Asian countries pledge for the climate was a real struggle. Countries in the East Asian diaspora were ultimately highly developing countries with a high carbon emission. However, last year, South Korea became the first Asian country to set a 2050 net zero emissions goal followed by Japan and China.
Upholding Animal Rights
Finally, animal advocates worldwide can rejoice! Egypt has banned camel rides near the tourist sites at the pyramids of Giza. Not only that, the pangolin was withdrawn from the pharmacopoeia of traditional Chinese medicines. The outbreak of the pandemic also caused China to forbid the use of wild animals for consumption as food. However, wild animals are still going to be used for traditional medicine and scientific research. We hope this will change soon.
Eradication of Polio in Africa
After much effort, the long-standing issue with wild polio in Africa has been solved successfully. While the entire world’s attention was on Covid-19, the achievement of eradicating polio is definitely a motivation for the World Health Organization to eradicate it globally.
MALAYSIA
Financial Woes No More for Zoo Negara
We can all agree that the pandemic destroyed the livelihoods of all economic sectors — with the inclusion of the tourism sector. Zoo Negara, due to the help of animal-loving Malaysians, has managed to avoid a mega financial disaster. They’ve raised RM 1 million via their Adopt An Animal Campaign.
Less Pollution By Just Staying At Home
With most countries worldwide, being under lockdown, it has also caused an unexpected good impact to the environment. The fall in pollutant level can be seen across various countries, and Malaysia is not excluded too. In regards to this, there’s a fall in nitrogen dioxide levels in our skies — predominantly in Kuala Lumpur and Johor Bahru.
AWAM’s campaign for the Sexual Harassment Bill
The road to pass the sexual harassment bill is still very bumpy but there was progress last year. Batu Kawan MP, Kasthuriraani Patto, submitted a petition, prepared by the All Women’s Action Society Malaysia (AWAM) to speed up the tabling of the Sexual Harassment Bill. It’s a great feat indeed. Here’s to a better future for women in our country!
Good Samaritans Don’t Look at Skin Colour
In the midst of the racial tension in our country, a picture of a Malay woman sheltering an elderly Indian woman from the sun, using a file, made its rounds on the Internet. It really shows that not all Malaysians are racist and there are many kind-hearted souls out there!
Great Feats by Our National Heroes
The pandemic definitely didn’t stop these Malaysians from reaching that extra mile. Below is a sub-list of Malaysians who’ve achieved amazing things throughout 2020.
- Samuel Isaiah — Teacher who has dedicated his life to teaching indigenous children: Top 10 Finalist for the Global Teacher Prize
- Kevin Lim Chin Seong — Malaysian engineer: Recognition by NASA for his Space Toilet design
- Hanna Alkaf — Malaysian Author: Freeman Book Awards winner and Kirkus Prize 2020 finalist for her books, The Weight of our Sky and The Girl and the Ghost
- Subashan Vadibeler — Medical Student in the University of Malaya: Rhodes Scholarship recipient to the University of Oxford
- Dr Ravinder Kaur — Hornbill Researcher: Recipient of the Marsh Award for her conservation projects
- Erica Eng — Illustrator: Winner of the Will Eisner Comic Industry Award for her webcomic, Fried Rice
- Nor ‘Phoenix’ Diana — Hijabi Pro-Wrestler: Named Forbes’ 30 Under 30 Asia
- Brelveenraj Kaur — Satellite controller working under MEASAT: Only Malaysian among 13 global participants at the UN-Backed Space Generation Advisory Council (SGAC)
- Dr Chan Yoke Fun — Virologist: Winner of the 2020 ASEAN-US Science Prize for Women
So, there you have it folks! Your very own positive recap of 2020. Let’s hope that 2021 brings us more positivity and joy!
[Written by: Preevena Jayabalan]
