Amirah's Oral History, Round 1

Item

Title

Amirah's Oral History, Round 1

Synopsis

● Interviewee is a 34 years old woman, Malay, Malaysian.
● She described her experiences of being the sole caregiver to her elderly parents who were not taking well to lockdown measures in Malaysia. She also shared the difficulty of having her sister and niece living separately and care fatigue of ensuring she and her parents are well during the pandemic.
● She noted the dynamics of her household and that of her neighbourhood in dealing with the lockdown. Her family stocked up on two months’ worth of canned food items while she assisted her elderly neighbours with purchasing their groceries as well, highlighting a communal approach to managing the crisis.
● She touched on the various political maneouvres that happened which led to the second wave of Covid-19 cases, particularly the importance of Langkah Sheraton and the Sabah elections in exacerbating Malaysia’s response to the crisis.

Date Created

January 28, 2021

Language of interview

English

Related interviews

Index

Biography 1-2
- Family 7, 9, 24, 30-31
--- Adult caregiver 9
- Village 2, 8, 38
--- Retirement community 8, 34-35
--- Mental Health 34-35

Job
- Lawyer 1, 37
--- Own business 2-3, 12-13
--- Adopting IT features 13
- Remote worker 7, 12
- Organizing work 10
--- NGO 10, 21, 32, 34, 39
--- Muda 10, 40

Response measures for Covid-19
- Danger of Covid-19 3-5
--- Ebola 4
--- Influenza 5
- Movement Control Order (MCO) 3, 7-8, 10, 15-18, 22, 30-31, 35
--- Military 7
--- Riots 8
--- #SiBodohKauDengarSini 36
- Standard Operating Procedures (SOP)
- MySejahtera app 23-24
- Selangorku app 23
- Vaccine 24
- Masking up 32
- Fines 32, 35
- Jail 32
- Quarantine Centers 25

Support
- Business owners 35 - 36, 37-38
--- Challenges of small businesses 37-38
- Migrant Workers 43

Home Space 14-15

Mobility during pandemic 9
- Social gatherings 11, 27
--- Virtual connections via online media 11
- Food delivery 8, 39
- Education 21
--- Poor access to online resources 21 -22
- Hiking 28, 32-33

Daily Routine
- Food 7-8, 10, 15-20, 39
--- Home-cooked meal routine 10
--- Meal Ready to Eat 16
--- Bread shortage 18
--- Lack of fresh food 19 - 20

Malaysian Government
- Covid-response 5-6, 35-36, 42
--- Langkah Sheraton 5, 31
- Sabah Elections 6
--- Denial of remote or postal votes 6
- Lockdown 30
- Emergency 27

Memory and trauma
- World War Two 27
- 13 May Emergency 27

Communication 34
- Social Media 34, 38
- Newspapers 34

Item sets

Amirah's Oral History