Keywords:
COVID-19, Malaysia, crisis, creative narratives, commonalities, route to recovery, nurturing space, catharsis
Vol. 2 (S) Jun. 2020
Article ID. JHSSR-1034-2020[S]
Malaysia’s 2020 Twin Crises: Opportunity to Shape a National Identity Through Creative Narratives
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Keywords: COVID-19, Malaysia, crisis, creative narratives, commonalities, route to recovery, nurturing space, catharsis |
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Abstract:
This paper presents the writer’s perspective on the COVID-19 pandemic as it affects Malaysia. The health crisis eclipsed the political crisis that hit the nation just as the disease began to spread in Malaysia. This paper proposes the use of creative narratives built upon commonalities among Malaysians as a more effective route to recovery in post-crisis Malaysia than the power narratives of local politics. Creative narratives are advocated as a nurturing space for the depiction and sharing of such commonalities. Creative narratives are personal stories of life-being-lived that can, for Malaysians, lay out the possibilities for shaping a truly Malaysian identity that includes all Malaysians.
DOI: https://doi.org/10.37534/bp.jhssr.2020.v2.nS.id1034.p31