When the Covid-19 virus started spreading all over the world and people were told to stay calm, we did the one thing we do best: panic.
For decades, we were sold the lie that kiasuness is a Singaporean trait, and that we were the world’s best when it came to doing selfish and unnecessary things in a crisis.
But then the Covid-19 disease broke out and citizens of innumerable nations started panic buying because they feared they would run out of food and toilet paper.
And people continued to panic buy, despite assurances that stocks would not run out. One leader got tired of this behaviour and made a grocery run himself to show his country that everything was fine.
M’sia PM Went for Grocery Shopping in a Supermarket & Looks Like Your Typical Uncle
If you went to the supermarket to buy your usual 48 packs of toilet paper and stumbled upon this man in the vegetable aisle, what would you think?
Reader: Uh, that’s just an uncle doing some grocery shopping lor. What’s the big dea-
WRONG!
Reader: Ok ok please don’t shout
That man is actually Muhyiddin Yassin, the eighth prime minister of Malaysia.
He was sworn in just a month ago after Dr Mahathir resigned.
No food shortages
In a bid to reassure Malaysians that the country has more than enough supplies, the prime minister went for a supermarket run which showed that the place was filled with groceries.
A few photographs also showed Yassin donning a face mask and surgical gloves, and having his temperature checked, presumably when entering the supermarket.
In his post, Yassin assured Malaysians that there is no need to panic because the supermarkets are fully stocked.
“This morning I was able to go down to a supermarket in Kuala Lumpur. Looking for some stuff while observing the people’s practices there. Thank God, many were aware of the need for social distancing. The supermarket was also full. So, we don’t have to panic.”
Clueless husbands in markets
During the Movement Contol Order (MCO) in Malaysia, only the head of each household is allowed to go out to buy essentials for the family.
Since some consider husbands to be the “head of the household”, many men have had to do the grocery shopping, even though some of them are completely new to the task.
These men were so lost and confused while shopping that a supermarket posted a “shopping guide for husbands” online.
Some netizens noticed that the prime minister wasn’t carrying a shopping list, meaning either he was just pretending to shop or that he’s such a grocery-shopping expert that he didn’t need a list at all.
In any case, one must applaud Yassin for taking the initiative to calm anxious Malaysians.
So, the next time you go to Giant to purchase your 68 bottles of soya sauce, don’t be surprised if you turn around and see the disappointed face of our own prime minister.
