DECEMBER 31 — We are at the end of 2015, seeking to usher in the next chapter that would continue to chart the Malaysian story. It has been a politically tumultuous, economically sombre and socially redefining year.

This article will look into what story gave us anger, fear, disgust, joy and sadness — five basic emotions based on one of the most popular films this year — “Inside Out.”

Anger

1. Prices go up

An obvious cause of anger in people stemmed from the imposition of the Goods and Services Tax (GST) in April 2015. There were numerous reports of smaller businesses closing citing the aetiology of the problem originating from logistics and burden.

Since May, taxi, trains and express buses increased their fares up to 67 per cent. All 18 highways also increased their toll rates. The last month of the year also saw a hike in LRT, Komuter and monorail prices.

2. Ringgit goes down

The ringgit reached its lowest dip against the dollar at RM4.30 to US$1 since the 1998 Financial Crisis, after its 11 straight weeks of decline, which marked the longest since 1993. The ringgit exceeded even the most bearish of expectations.

3. Haze remains

The last haze crisis in 1997 had tremendous economic impact across Southeast Asia. The Nanyang Technological University estimated a historical loss of US$9 billion. The haze problem in 2015, marked air pollution readings comparable to that of 1997.

The financial loss will come in time but the immediate impact was felt by people of all walks of life. Schools were closed and transport in the airways and across the straits were delayed because of reduced visibility. Like most bad things, it hurts the most vulnerable — those in poor health and old age, deteriorating health and well being.

Fear

1. Low Yat

The overriding incident that sparked grave concerns were the series of events that culminated on the 12th of July this year. We bitterly refer to this as the “Low Yat Incident.” There are two lessons gained from this.Firstly, how society has turned into a high pressure cooking pot — ready to erupt at any moment and secondly, the progress we have yet to make to form a united multicultural society.

After this incident there were ripples of unrest followed by a demonstration held on the 16th of September called “Perhimpunan Merah 916.” Several thousand people assembled in central Kuala Lumpur led by supremacists groups heralding the need to safeguard the interests of the Malay community.

2. Loss of institutional independence

We fear losing the independence of our institutions. The verdict of opposition leader Datuk Seri Anwar Ibrahim had attracted condemnation from international groups like Human Rights Watch, Amnesty International and United Nations Working Group — all which casted doubt on judicial independence since the infamous 1988 Constitutional Crisis.

The unceremonious sacking of former Attorney-General (AG) Abdul Gani Patail ahead of his retirement amidst a special task force probing into 1MDB made us fear that there were political interference in the AG Chambers.

3. Encroaching powers of the executives

The National Security Council Bill was passed at record pace in the Dewan Rakyat. Alarmed by this, MPUK published an article breaking down the Bill and expressed our concerns (https://shar.es/1cOhTR). We fear that the concentration of powers in the hands of a few would be abused and used to silence dissenters.

Whilst the threats against terrorists are an ongoing concern, we fear laws like this would extinguish our liberties sooner.

4. 1Malaysia Development Berhad (1MDB)

1MDB, a state run investment fund, drew heavy criticisms from members within the organisation and externally for its numerous dealings, leading to debts of nearly RM42b. An exemplary shady deal occurred in October 2012 where 1MDB buys power generation business from the Genting Group for RM2.3b and then values it for RM500m.

Meanwhile Genting's finances state RM1.9b on the deal. In July 2015, news broke when the Wall Street Journal traced nearly US$700m into the prime minister's personal bank accounts. The allegations were denied. However, numerous questions on fund misappropriation remain unanswered.

Disgust

1. Child porn

A Malaysian student at Imperial College was arrested and handed a nine-month jail term after being caught with 30,000 indecent images and videos of child porn on his computer. Malaysians were generally disgusted by this heinous crime that many were adamant that Majlis Amanah Rakyat (MARA) should not provide a second chance for his scholarship.

2. Rape and victim-blaming

Free Malaysia Today reported that at least one woman was raped every 35 minutes in the country.

This is a statistic that we express in disgust and horror. Adding insult to injury, is the ignorance of continuous victim-blaming. It is most ignorant for people like Khairuddin Razali, the information chief of PAS to issue absurd and sexist statements supporting marriage as the curative avenue for rape victims.

3. The #YaPEIM scandal

The National Oversight and Whistleblower (NOW) revealed in several press conferences of the misuses of funds of the Malaysian Islamic Economic Development Foundation (YaPEIM). YaPEIM CEO had admitted to purchasing a golf simulator for a charity outfit recently. This disgusted the public as the foundation was known to be an Islamic welfare organisation, and questionable spendings flies in the face of the foundation’s stated purposes.

Joy

1. UT MARA debate

It was a joyous year for debate as UT MARA English debate team did us proud by emerging champions at the Cambridge Intervarsity Debate 2015. The highly prestigious tournament saw the participation of 128 teams from universities across the world such as Harvard University, Oxford University, The London School of Economics, and University of Toronto.

2. Sports

Datuk Nicol David did it again. She retained the world number one sport in the Women’s Squash Association rankings for 106 astounding consecutive months. Another athlete, Muhammad Hakimi Ismail marked history at the 28th SEA Games this year, by obtaining our first gold medal in 18 years.

Sadness

1. Sabah Earthquake

Malaysians mourned over the sad tragedy which robbed 16 lives in an earthquake in Sabah earlier in June. 30 pupils and staff were climbing the mountain in the state of Sabah on Borneo island as part of an educational trip, when a magnitude 6.0 quake, which hit the mountain led to a landslide.

2. Tunku Jalil

The death of the late Tunku Jalil, the Johor Prince who battled stage four liver cancer at the age of 25, saddened many Malaysians. All were touched by his struggle and posted personal tributes for him on social media. His illness led to the formation of the Tunku Laksamana Johor Cancer Foundation by Sultan Ibrahim which assists Cancer patients who are in need of financial aid.

Conclusion

When most of what happened this year are filled with sadness, anger and disgust, the immediate response is to try to erase them from our memory. But we shouldn’t forget what demands to be remembered, for there is where most lessons lie. In the film "Inside Out," the scariest place wasn’t the subconscious part of the brain which houses our worst fears, but the pit at the centre where our memories are lost forever.

It is easy to feel helpless when our biggest fears have overcome us. Of all the doors we have shut, one must remain open — the one with the ray of hope. We are stronger when we embrace our fears, and we mature as Joy has matured when we have seen the worst — and that is where Malaysian Progressives in the UK (MPUK) intends to be with you.

Before we leave this year of intense poignancy, MPUK hopes you bring with you a grace of hope into 2016. Have a happy new year.

* This is the personal opinion of the writer or publication and does not necessarily represent the views of Malay Mail Online.