LETTER | The government’s decision to ban all kavadi carrying (except the paal kavadi which is also limited by SOPs) can be accepted in view of the imminent and sporadic Omicron variant of the Covid-19 threat in the country.
However, what is frustrating the Indian community this Thaipusam is the fact that the announcement to ban kavadi carrying came just days before the celebration.
This is not about politicising an issue. On the contrary, the crux is why is the government seemingly so handicapped in making announcements early so that the cascading frustrations are kept at a minimum?
The late ban announcement reflects a more deep-seated problem of a lack of wisdom and efficacy, a constantly failing government.
Thaipusam is not just a festival of jubilant, social celebration. It is a religiously connected observance where Hindus go through a period of fasting and strict observance of purity of thought, abstinence and even live by a strict vegetarian diet in order to fulfil to the letter on Thaipusam the vows they made with a deep spiritual connectivity.
Aside from the month-long personal preparation of body, mind and soul there are also the physical and logistic needs that require advanced planning, including the made to order kavadi props and related paraphernalia.
The Health ministry has always projected itself as fully capable with its variety of statistics and control mechanisms having paddled through two years of battling the Covid-19 challenges.
The government has also projected an image that it knows best how to mobilise a variety of strategies and SOPs to keep the spread of emerging variants of the virus within manageable levels.
The public has been mostly receptive and cooperative to the various SOPs put in place by the government. They even accepted the need for an unwarranted darurat at the start of the pandemic.
Much money is being spent to engage the manpower in this battle against the pandemic – which the authorities consider as endemic at times.
The question is why the planners and decision-makers within government are incapable of anticipating problems and risks well in advance so that the people are not caught by sudden and short notice surprises.
With an arsenal of statistics at their disposal (which even the public are not privy to), surely the authorities can make proper and learned decisions in good time. But no, time and time again we witness this charade of last-minute announcements that not only inconveniences the public and adds to their frustrations and disappointments, let alone the financial losses suffered as a result of eleventh-hour decision announcements.
Indeed then, the last-minute kavadi bans are no fault of the devotees. Perhaps not even that of the temple committees. The government of Prime Minister Ismail Sabri Yaakob must take responsibility for this pathetic failure if we are truly serious about accountability at the national level.
The views expressed here are those of the author/contributor and do not necessarily represent the views of Malaysiakini.
