by SHAHEERA AZNAM SHAH / pic by BERNAMA

IT HAS been a very interesting year for Malaysia as the country enters the second year of a non-Barisan Nasional government.

Over the last 12 months, the country has witnessed major events which shuddered many and left others in a state of disbelief and distraught.

In short, it has not all been smooth sailing for the country. The people and government were tested on environmental issues.

Race and religious relations fell to recent lows despite the country trying to forget the May 13 racial riot which rocked the nation 50 years ago.

Bigots and racial and religious slurs dominated discussions and nearly dragged the nation to a repeat of the event 50 years ago.

Police intervention and calm heads did prevail, but pockets of such racial undertones were continued by political parties who want to remain relevant to their constituents and voters.

The Malaysian Reserve looks at the five biggest news that dominated headlines this year.

1.The Trial of the Century

Datuk Seri Mohd Najib Razak created history and become the country’s first former prime minister (PM) to stand trial for criminal offences.

The eldest son of the country’s second PM took the witness stand after the judge called for his defence over seven charges of money laundering, corruption and abuse of power related to RM42 million believed to have been looted from SRC International Sdn Bhd.

The 66-year-old Najib claimed that his persecution is politically motivated. Global media had converged in Kuala Lumpur to follow the various trials related to Najib.

In the trial, Najib, who is the former SRC International advisor emeritus, had largely claimed that he was not involved in the operational matters of the company.

He has also largely claimed that he did not know the answers to the many questions raised by the prosecution. But some of the revelations were rattling, including the reasons why he bought a RM466,000 luxury watch from a Chanel boutique in Honolulu on Dec 22, 2014, for his wife. He had to cut short the family holiday.

The SRC International trial is scheduled to continue on Jan 6 next year. If found guilty, the Pekan MP could face a maximum jail term of 20 years. The High Court decision will become global news. If found guilty, he is expected to appeal up to the highest court in the land and a final verdict is not expected soon.

2. The Conclusion of Fireman Muhammad Adib’s Death

The land and ownership dispute between the management of Seafield Sri Maha Mariamman Temple and One City Development Sdn Bhd in November last year led to the death of firefighter Muhammad Adib Mohd Kassim.

The temple sat on a piece of land owned by One City Development, a subsidiary of the Bursa-listed MCT Bhd. The temple’s devotees and developers were caught in an argument that sparked a two-day riot.

Muhammad Adib, one of the nine firefighters from Subang Jaya Fire and Rescue Station who responded to the incident, succumed to his injury after 21 days.

He died from multiple organ failures and Acute Respiratory

Distress Syndrome or ARDS. His death sparked anger among the Malays, and some political parties and members took advantage of the situation.

This year, coroner judge Rofiah Mohamad ruled in a 41-day inquest that the blunt chest trauma was not caused by himself, but the action of another person, possibly two people.

His death had been concluded as the result of a criminal act by two or more unidentified persons. The ruling brought closure to the 41-day inquest which began in February.

The riot at Seafield Sri Maha Mariamman Temple garnered national attention and again proved the frailty of the country’s race relations.

3. The Kim Kim River Environmental Disaster

The irresponsible act (some deemed criminal) of a few had caused the country’s worst environmental disaster in recent years.

In March this year, thousands of residents experienced breathing difficulties and fell sick due to the toxic waste emissions dumped into the Kim Kim River in Pasir Gudang, Johor.

The illegal chemical waste dumping at Kim Kim River affected 6,000 people and hospitalised 2,775, mostly students. More than 110 schools, colleges and businesses were forced to close. Hospitals had to create makeshift treatment centres to cater to those affected. It was a major environmental disaster.

Kim Kim River’s cleaning operation involved the Malaysian Armed Forces’ chemical, biological, radiological and nuclear team, and Fire and Rescue Department’s Hazmat team. They collected a total of 900 tonnes of soil, 1,500 tonnes of polluted water and a discharge of 2.43 tonnes of chemical substances.

It was a stark reminder over how Malaysia is easily exposed to an environmental disaster. To date, nobody has been charged for the act.

4. The Haze Saga Continues

South-East Asia was engulfed in haze this year, the worst in recent years and a reminder of a similar crisis early this decade.

The haze is becoming a routine, but this year’s smog would have easily cost billions in losses.

The World Bank estimates that the recent forest fire has cost Indonesia some US$5.2 billion

(RM21.48 billion) or 0.5% of its GDP in damage control, on top of the aftermath of the health impact and deteriorated air quality.

The worst Air Pollution Index was recorded in Sri Aman, Sarawak, registering a high of 369 that crossed into the “hazardous” level.

Hundreds of schools across the country were closed to prevent children from being exposed to the toxic haze. Tourist arrivals to Malaysia were also impacted during the period.

5. Nora Anne Touched the Hearts of Millions

In August, Nora Anne Quoirin’s parents lodged a missing person report of their 15-year-old girl to the Royal Malaysian Police in Negri Sembilan.

The Quoirin — a French-Irish family who was on vacation at the Dusun Pantai Hill Resort in Seremban — found their special-needs teenager missing on Aug 4, a day after the family checked in at the eco-resort for a supposedly twoweek vacation.

The authorities launched one of the biggest search and rescue (SAR) operations involving thousands of people, including from the military elite tracking team.

Nora Anne’s body was found about 2.5km away from the resort, 10 days after she was reported missing. Autopsy report indicated she died of gastrointestinal bleeding. The report also said she likely went through prolonged stress.

Nora Anne’s tragedy touched the hearts of millions of people, including from abroad, who raised funds to help in the SAR operation.