In the utmost turmoil and unprecedented turbulent period of the entire human history, Easter is being celebrated by a huge population of people across planet Earth who are Christians.

To them, Easter is their most important festival.

They celebrate the resurrection of the Savior, the triumph of good over evil, after trials, tribulations, and sufferings.

In Easter, there is always Hope. And mankind should never ever give up hope even in the most difficult and challenging times, in the most trying times and darkest hours… The extreme climate change, the unfinished war against Covid-19, and the near-recession of the global economy… But, there is always HOPE!

Many people believe that religious and spiritual beliefs – whatever human creatures believe in, and however we make sense of the world – are highly personal and incredibly emotional, and should always be respected by everyone.

It is, many of us think, useful and important to learn about other people’s religions and beliefs so that we can learn to live together in peace and harmony in this rather difficult, troublesome, and complicated world.

For peace and harmony, we should continue to accept, as we did before, not just to tolerate in a multiethnic, cultural, religious, and linguistic country.

Today, we have another highly significant world religion, ISLAM. It’s now their holy month of Ramadan, a month of incredible personal discipline, prayers and reflection is being observed this month.

People of other faiths and beliefs must show the fullest respect for them, not only at this time, but at all times. This is the fundamental basic human right of all human beings.

It is very sad and indeed enormously disturbing to see unfolding before us across the world today absolutely unjustifiable and unconscionable atrocities, aggression, greed, cruelty, bullying, rudeness and inhuman treatment inflicted on fellow human creatures, especially the young and the weak, the disabled, vulnerable and the poor, women and the old, of all ethnic and religious groups, at all levels of the human society, from the most basic unit to their nations.

This happens every hour of the year, even in the holiest months of some major religions.

The horrors and atrocities of the last World Wars are being repeated.

This is totally unacceptable in a civilized society.

This Easter, we pray and hope that the traditional few global multi-trillion arms industry nations will not supply and sell arms but give love instead, and supply relief funds, food, medical equipment, medical personnel and constructive help and assistance to war-torn countries and their suffering peoples, so that they can rebuild their lives, and that people in all corners of the world can continue to put food on the table, providing basic shelter for their families.

Only love and sincerity, not war or hatred, can help the embattled global economy and the equally embattled people to slowly recover. Give them HOPE this Easter.

Happy Easter!

(Datuk Seri Ang Lai Soon is Sarawak social activist, philanthropist, founder of St John’s Ambulance Sarawak.)