Sin Chew Daily

Another two weeks will be the Chinese New Year, a traditional big day of celebration among the Chinese people.

Unfortunately, with the coronavirus outbreak still very serious, this CNY is poised to be very different from past years, and we are quite sure majority of Chinese Malaysians have been mentally prepared to celebrate the new year in a new normal way.

Currently MCO 2.0 is still in force nationwide with the only exception of Sarawak. The government is expected to announce on Feb 2 whether the MCO will be extended further, or be replaced with CMCO albeit with stricter SOPs.

Be it MCO or CMCO, it is almost impossible for us celebrate CNY in a big way as we used to do in the past, even though some of the age-old traditions will still be cherished. The authorities have said they would come up with SOPs for the upcoming festive season as soon as possible.

From what we understand, the authorities will very likely adopt the same SOPs enforced during last year's Aidilfitri celebration, with some adjustments.

During the CMCO last May, Muslims were allowed to have small gatherings with not more than 20 of their closest relatives on the first day of Raya, depending on the size of the venue. However, they were not allowed to travel out of state or have greetings involving physical contacts.

Chinese people celebrate their new year in a very different way from Hari Raya, Deepavali, Gawai or other festivities, and adjustments to the SOPs are therefore necessary.

However, given the worsening pandemic here, there is a strong likelihood that the SOPs will be further tightened. As CNY celebrations often involve large gatherings, the enforcement of various restrictions is meant to safeguard the health of Malaysians as they celebrate the big day.

One of the most important events in the CNY celebration is the reunion dinner on New Year Eve. It is said that the authorities may restrict the number of people at a reunion dinner to not more than 20 close relatives, mainly to protect the senior citizens sitting at the same table. To prevent the emergence of new infection clusters, it is absolutely necessary to restrict the number of participants and keep safe social distances.

The Sarawak state government has come up with CNY and Chap Goh Meh SOPs much earlier than the federal government, restricting the number of participants at any gathering to 20, while banning open house events as well as lion and dragon dance performances.

That said, CNY activities are more than just these, as we also have the rituals to welcome the God of Prosperity, paying homage to the Heavenly God by the Hokkiens, and Chap Goh Meh celebrations, among others. Will the government ban all these activities, or draw up a new set of SOPs for these activities in view of the need to preserve old customs and traditions?

Prior to this, the Hua Zong president proposed that the authorities draw up specific SOPs governing CNY traditions other than the New Year Eve reunion dinner and visitations. However, many are of the opinion that this is unnecessary, as the government should always prioritize the safety and health of Malaysians in view of the seriousness of the outbreak.

A government that puts the people's well-being first should be adequately prepared for any possible eventuality, so that people can still practice the traditional festive rituals without having to bear the risk of being fined for violating the law.

As the federal and state governments may have their own sets of SOPs governing non-Islamic festivities, some unhappy incidents may occur due to differential enforcement. To prevent such confusion and inconsistent law enforcement, it is utterly essential for the national security council to coordinate with various state governments so that the rakyat can celebrate the new year without any worry.

For sure this coming CNY is not going to be the same as in past years. Many people are prepared to celebrate the festive season in the city and not with their families in their hometowns. Many have even been advised by their understanding parents back home not to come back for reunion this year, as they can always meet again when things are under better control several months down the road.

Nothing comes more than important than our health and life. Some of the rituals such as distributing red packets and exchanging gifts can all be done online now, thanks to sophisticated technology.

Since we are prepared to celebrate the new year in the city in the new normal way in strict compliance with the SOPs and refrain from joining non-essential gatherings or roaming about freely, it is hoped that our leaders too will also adhere to the same set of SOPs, as we fight the virus together in unity with the hope everything will be back to normal very soon.