10 Unlikely Local Heroes Who Surprised Even The Most Cynical Of Malaysians
Just when you least expect it, these people went beyond the expectations of skeptical Malaysians and rose admirably to the occasion.
By Samantha Khor — 30 Dec 2014, 11:24 AM — Updated almost 10 years ago
1. Dato' Seri Ahmad Shabery Cheek: Our Multimedia and Communications Minister rolled up his sleeves and waded through flood water to help out with the evacuation efforts in his home state, Terengganu
It is rare enough to see ministers going on-site to assist with disaster relief efforts, what more to actually 'turun padang' such as Shabery's no-nonsense approach to helping out in flood evacuations in the East Coast.
Photos have gone viral depicting Shabery passing out relief supplies in a line of volunteers, wading through flood water surveying the local situation for himself, even carrying an unconscious old woman during a medical emergency.
2. Afdlin Shauki: Proving that entertainers are more than their onstage personas, the actor went on-site to assist with flood evacuations along with a handful of volunteers in Kelantan
You too can help the victims of the East Coast floods by donating in cash and kind. This year's floods, the worst to have hit Malaysia since 1971, have caused more than 200,000 people to flee their homes.
3. Dato' Sri Najib Razak: Many did not expect much of him after he was criticised for poor handling of MH370's disappearance. However, our Prime Minister quietly emerged as the hero during the MH17 crisis when he successfully negotiated a deal with Ukrainian separatists
Najib's "silent diplomatic approach" earned him rare praise from the opposition as well as international media for successfully negotiating a deal with the Ukrainian rebels.
While world leaders were quick to point fingers at pro-Russian separatists and Russia for shooting down Flight MH17, Najib kept mum and worked behind the scenes to broker a deal with the self-proclaimed leader of Donetsk People's Republic, Alexander Borodai.
4. The 25 prominent Malays: Despite the threat of sedition laws and criticisms from their Muslim brothers, the group, which includes former ministers, bravely put their name down on an open letter demanding for Dato' Sri Najib to hold rational discussion of Islamic laws in the country
5. #KamiJuga25 and I Am #26: Regular Malaysians refused to let the 25 eminent Malays' call for rational discussion die by starting the #KamiJuga25 open letter and the I Am #26 movement after a lack of response from the government
Read what Marina Mahathir has to say about moderation and the rising extremism in progressive Malaysia here.
6. Zunar: The cartoonist proved that the pen is mightier than the sword as he has been hailed as a hidden hero of modern democracy for his political cartoons that questioned the authorities
7. Ashley Greig: The 28-year-old would not let Panasonic define beauty by body size and fought to change society's unhealthy perception of beauty after she was unfairly eliminated from the company's beauty contest to girls who had less votes, but are skinnier than her
The young woman emerged as a hero for plus-sized women everywhere when she entered Panasonic's beauty contest, knowing that she will be pitted against contestants who fit the general perception of beauty - tall, slim, fair, and model-like. While Ashley managed to get quite a lot of public support and the highest amount of votes in the preliminary round, she was not included in the shortlist of 250 contestants.
Many of her supporters came to her defence, criticising Panasonic for being "unfair". Face with intensifying criticism and unable to give a straight answer as to why Ashley was eliminated, the brand ultimately decided to cancel the contest.
8. Mohd. Kamil: Some of us may have had bad experiences with unscrupulous taxi drivers, but this KL cabbie proved us wrong when he offered rides to blind people with guide dogs in response to the prejudice and growing ignorance among locals
Mohd. Kamil, who is also affectionately known as Eddie, was inspired to do so after watching a moving 15-minute short, titled "Are You Blind? The Embarrassing Truth About Malaysians", which highlighted how a sight-impaired businessman and his seeing eye dog were always chased out of shopping malls and prevented from boarding taxis and buses in Kuala Lumpur.
9. Mr. Vasu: While people are generally wary of being approached by strangers while on the road, he showed us the true meaning of kindness when he went out of his way to help out a complete stranger who was stranded in the middle of the Federal Highway
10. Silaturrahim Brotherhood: It was not their job, but this biker group took it upon themselves to patch up the potholes littered around KL to prevent accidental deaths caused by potholes
