From 15 Sen to Today: Learning to Live in Challenging Times
A Personal Reflection
By Dr Sajad Hussein Kamarally
I’ve just come back from buying groceries.When I looked at the receipt, I could almost feel my wallet getting lighter. Somehow, it took me back to my school days in the early 1950s.Back then, my father would give me just 15 sen.
With that 15 sen, I could buy a plate of meehoon with vegetables and egg. And I would still have enough left for a big glass of cold syrup. For a schoolboy in those days, that was considered a proper meal.
More than 70 years have passed.Today, 15 sen probably wouldn’t even buy a plastic bag.The world has changed. Prices have risen. Our needs have increased. The way we spend has changed too. Inflation is part of life, and we cannot turn the clock back. We have to adapt.
But to me, adapting does not mean simply staying silent and accepting everything. We also need to ask: What can we do?
1. Government needs to continue playing its role
The government has already introduced various forms of assistance for B40 families, senior citizens and retirees. In times when the cost of living is becoming increasingly challenging, such support needs to continue and, where necessary, be strengthened.
At the same time, enforcement against irresponsible traders must remain a priority.
Hoarding, profiteering and deliberately creating artificial shortages ultimately hurt the consumer. And as always, when prices rise, ordinary people feel the impact most.
2. Communities need to rediscover the spirit of gotong-royong
Perhaps it is time to look again at something our communities once had in abundance neighbours helping neighbours.Why not have several families in a neighbourhood join together to buy essential goods in bulk? With larger purchases, perhaps we can obtain better prices.
We could go a step further and establish community cooperatives.Buy in bulk. Distribute fairly. If there is a surplus, share the benefits among the members.Our forefathers practised forms of cooperation like this.
They may not have had the technology we have today, but they possessed something equally valuable a sense of community.That is the true spirit of gotong-royong.
3. Foreign worker policies need to be managed more systematically
Our policies concerning foreign workers also need to be looked at holistically and managed carefully.We need foreign workers in certain sectors, but at the same time, proper management is important to ensure that the labour market, operating costs and supply of goods remain stable.
Clear and consistent policies are good not only for employers and workers, but can also contribute to a more balanced economy.
4. Teach our children how to face life
Perhaps this is the most important thing we can do. At home and in school, we need to teach our children about thrift, appreciating the value of money, reducing waste, and knowing the difference between what we need and what we simply want.These values may sound like advice from another era.But actually, they are life skills. And we should not forget to teach them gratitude.
A child who learns to appreciate what he or she has may not constantly feel the need to chase what they do not have.I am not asking us to return to the days of 15 sen. That is impossible.Nor am I suggesting that we reject progress. The technology, convenience and prosperity we enjoy today are things we should be grateful for.
But perhaps, in our pursuit of progress, we should carry with us some of the values that helped our communities survive in the past.Be thrifty. Be grateful. Share. And look after one another.The government can help.Communities can cooperate.Individuals can play their part by spending wisely.
If all three work together, I believe we can still live good and meaningful lives, even in challenging times,because ultimately, life is not simply about how much we have.It is about how wisely we use what we have, how generously we share, and how much we care about the people around us.
That is what makes us more than people who simply live next door to one another,it makes us a community, and perhaps that is the most valuable lesson that 15 sen ever taught me!.
