Thank You, Malaysia

Your generous contributions and support in this, our darkest hour, will help us more than you probably realize.  We write this open letter to all of you to show our appreciation, and, more important, in the hope that everyone can learn from our tragedy.

Our families have worked in the pig farming industry for generations.  So it's not inconceivable that while some of us may be illiterate, we know our animals, and the diseases common to them, like the back of our hands.  After all, they have been our livelihood for so long, and, for many of us, they stand as our only hope for a future.

It was in October last year, when the viral encephalitis disease first struck us.  From the very beginning, it affected more than pigs.  Horses and humans were already coming down with the disease.  We were repeatedly told the cause was Japanese Encephalitis or JE, despite our misgivings.  We believed them and dutifully did all that they asked.

(For those who are interested, a complete chronology of the events can be found at: http://www.rayma.visualw.com/pahlawan/vecrisis.shtml ).

Seven months later, the crisis has completely destroyed our lives.  And our misguided belief in JE as the real cause has made us lose our fathers, mothers, uncles, brothers, sisters and friends.

Today, we have no more money and income.  Our future is uncertain.  We have no homes to return to.  Our families are no more, as well.  Our remaining family members are scattered throughout the country, imposing themselves on relatives and friends.  Some of our underage brothers and sisters can't even be with their mothers.  How do we explain to them what has happened?

As if that's not enough hardship for us to bear, in the minds of some people, they even think we are diseased.  They refuse to rent houses to us when they find out that we come from Sungai Nipah, the village once celebrated as The Best in the country.  Our shining dream has now turned into a terrible nightmare.

Left without any choice, some of us have now moved back to our “contaminated villages”, to try to resume our lives among the shambles, the decomposing pigs and other animals which are still lying around, the shallow burial pits, and the pollution time-bomb beneath our feet.

We are afraid, but we have nowhere else to go.  Our debts, our medical bills, and our daily expenses continue to climb.  We can no longer hope to continue our education.  The sudden collapse of our livelihood has driven one of our young uncles to suicide; leaving behind a helpless aunt with a five-year old boy and six-month old baby girl.

When once we dreamed of taking over our fathers' farms, or join the workforce, we no longer dare to even think beyond tomorrow.

But now you have given us some hope.

We are touched and overwhelmed by the outpouring of generosity and support you are showing us.  We have been told that so far over RM20 million have been collected through various JE Humanitarian Funds, and we want to thank you all.  When we receive these funds, and we pray it will be soon, we will get back on our own feet.  We will rebuild our lives.

However, without meaning to be ungracious, we would like to ask one more thing from you.

The viral encephalitis epidemic is far from over.  As much as your generosity is appreciated, we also ask for your open-mindedness.

Don't blame the pig farmers - you are only blaming our parents.  Don't blame the pigs - you are only condemning our livelihood.  Don't blame the mosquitoes - it's not even JE.  (To this day, the scientists still don't know how and why this horrible disease started.)

We must not be prejudiced about what caused it, especially since the disease strikes everyone.  Instead, the lessons we must all learn from this is the need to be vigilant, to react with speed, to better equip ourselves, and to take responsibility.

Let us wake up to our shortcomings in managing such a deadly crisis, and learn from our mistakes.  Let our professionals have the courage to speak the truth, let our leaders who are responsible for making the decisions have the humility to listen.  It is only when your attitudes toward this disease are changed that our own lives can resume again.

We ask you to please do all you can to help end this epidemic once and for all, for our sake, as well as for your own.  Please put aside the racial politics, the posturing, the glory hunting, the professional arrogance, the hidden agendas, the greed, and, most of all, the blame.

If everyone plays their part well, from the Government right down to the pig farmers, we will have a safe place to live again.  Otherwise, we will have lost a lot more than our lives and our livelihood.

We will have lost our human decency.
 

Yours sincerely,
The children of all the affected families
JE/Nipah 100 Deceased Victims and 258 Victims still in Hospitals.

Viral Encephalitis BattleGround
 

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