KUALA LUMPUR, Dec 25 — Who doesn’t love Santa Claus? The big jolly man with a white beard is a hit among children as they read tales of his kindness and how he spreads joy and love through his gifts.
In the spirit of Christmas, we asked politicians, athletes, celebrities and members of the public what they would do if they turned Santa for a day.
Here is what they said:
“If I were Santa for a day, I would give all my hardworking fire and rescue personnel a GoPro camera because I want them to record their heroic actions every time they go out answering emergencies and rescuing people. Malaysians will appreciate what they go through every day to uphold their pledge to help anyone, anywhere and anytime.” — Datuk Abdul Rahman Dahlan, Urban Wellbeing, Housing and Local Government minister
“I would give rackets and shuttlecocks to every child in the country. Why? Because I want to surprise and encourage our children to pick up the sport.” — Datuk Lee Chong Wei, national badminton shuttler
“I would give my best friend, Amelia, a ‘Monster High’ doll because she has always wanted one for the longest of time. She also never fails to look out for me while we are in school.” — Shayna Anne Dev, eight, student
“I would like to give the Orang Asli children of Pos Tohoi a fully-furnished hostel with all necessities as well as recreational equipment. This is because we should remember and respect the dignity and rights for the Orang Asli.” — Tian Chua, PKR vice president
“I would like to give money and accommodation to the poor, especially those living in the rural areas because they do not experience the city life like we do. It’s time for us to remember those who stay in remote areas so they know how much we care for them.” — Nancy Shukri, Minister in the Prime Minister’s Department
“I would give free petrol vouchers to youths who can live without their smartphones and Internet for a day. This is to show them the importance of interpersonal relationship with one another instead of focussing on their phones.” — C. Sivarraajh, MIC youth chief
“My gift would be RM2,000 cash to all Kuala Lumpur residents who earn less than RM3,000 a month because these are the group who are suffering the most with the high cost of living.” — Datuk Johari Abdul Ghani, Deputy Finance Minister
“I would give the gift of sight to those blinded by hatred and intolerance so that they see the beauty in things they never did.” — Ramkarpal Singh, Bukit Gelugor MP
“I will stay true to Santa’s personality by giving children toys. I’ll shower them with many toys. Toys make children happy and I that will be my gift to them.” — General Tan Sri Zulkefli Md Zin, Armed Forces chief
“I would like to find a home for the homeless. Everyone deserves love and care as those are the essence of Christmas.” — Datuk Windsor Paul John, Asian Football Confederation general-secretary
“I would give the gift of happiness and love to those who need a little cheering up and a reason to be happy on Christmas and new year. If happiness and love fill your homes during this season, nothing else matters.” — Kristen Alyssa, 21, law student
“I would create a state-of-the-art public transportation system for those staying in Perak. It is the one thing that I believe Perak lacks sorely. Everyone would enjoy such services also it will improve the quality of life of the people.” — Howard Lee, Perak DAPSY chief and State Bi-partisan Committee on Transport member
“I would give the gift of rewinding time to the elderly who have been long forgotten by their children so that their children will have a change of heart and experience the happy moments they once had with their loved ones.” — Jerome Mickel, 23, mechanical engineer
“I would provide a food machine which will supply unlimited delicious food for all the hungry children in Africa.” — Khuzairi Nakhouda, 28, bank executive
“I would want to give the gift of wisdom to politicians so that they will understand the needs of the people and how to run the country better.” — Stanley Nyanaprakasan, 45, teacher
“I would to invent a cure and vaccine for cancer so that no one would have to die painfully from this disease.” — Ho Pooi Haan, 53, housewife
“I will give the gift of immortality to all dogs in the world so they will live as long as their family does because they give us unlimited love and happiness.” — Fred Pillai, 60, retiree
“I will give out snow globes with beautiful scenery of Cameron Highlands as a gift to every child that visits the highlands on Christmas Day. I will add the wordings ‘Let’s Save Our Highlands’. It will also create a sense of belonging to the highlands. I hope it will inspire them to protect this place.”— R. Ramakrishnan, Regional Environmental Awareness of Cameron Highlands president
“I would carry a large bag filled with money and give them away to poor parents so that they can buy necessities for their school-going children. This will relieve their burden and put a smile on their children’s faces.” — Abdul Rahman Said Alli, Perak Consumers Association president
“If I was Santa, I would give everyone a bicycle. This would lead Malaysians to have a healthy lifestyle and at the same time help to reduce pollution in our country.” — Datuk Amarjit Singh, Malaysian National Cycling Federation vice-president
“I would provide kids around the world an education system where it would develop and expand their minds to not only be well-educated but to be good and future leaders that would run the country well and respected by many.” — Fahrin Ahmad, actor
“I would give my mum a vacation as she has worked hard for all her life.” — Altimet, singer
“I would give orphans anything they need. I want them to enjoy Christmas like the rest of us.” — Razman Roslan, Pahang footballer
“I’ll give warm homes for Syrian refugees because they could use the shelter and safety since they need it especially after everything they have been through.” — Ann Osman, mixed martial art exponent
