Commentary

#SiGomenKauDengarSini

January 23, 2021

Listen! Listen! Listen! Take escalating pandemic fears, a second round of lockdowns and a babble of confusing standard operating procedures. Now, minus restaurant operating hours and add a horde of hangry Malaysians and you get one of the most profound, impassioned hashtags Twitterjaya’s seen in a long time.

#SiBodohKauDengarSini (You listen here, stupid) may have begun as the first five words of an angry tweet lambasting PM Muhyiddin Yassin and co’s decision to impose an 8pm closing time for F&B outlets operating in full movement control order (MCO) areas. But it soon became the rallying cry for angry netizens to vent dissatisfaction against authorities’ handling of a worsening Covid-19 pandemic.

But back to the food problem. Why were people up in arms over the 8pm rule? Because it was truly a pain for many to order or purchase food after work, even if only for delivery or take away. With such a short window, food delivery platforms were jammed up, and some folks had to miss meals.

We really gotta ask, what was the logic behind this regulation in the first place? Does the coronavirus only strike after 8pm? According to one virologist in a report, “viruses are not vampires.” This guide for journalists claimed there’s little scientific evidence to back belief that curfews like these actually slow the outbreak. If anything, it could be a bit of a government overcorrection.

Calls for the gomen to extend operating hours for eateries had already been gaining steam. But this opening salvo in one @yarafaee_’s tweet succeeded in ‘eloquently’ encapsulating the pent up frustrations by netizens which’d been building up for some time. So much so it topped Malaysia’s hashtag trending list for over two days. Over time, its use extended beyond food-related matters.

Soon #SiBodohKauDengarSini accompanied all manner of criticism, from PM Moo’s so-so Permai stimulus package to Putrajaya’s decision to focus on p̶e̶r̶s̶e̶c̶u̶t̶i̶n̶g̶ prosecuting the LGBT community when they should really focussing on people’s welfare during these trying times.

We cannot say Moo and his super-team are scouring the tweets for all this… err… feedback, but one thing did stick. The gomen recently announced that F&B businesses can remain open till 10pm (still no dine-ins).

Which goes to show that every now and then, the rakyat wins. Even if that ‘win’ is just a late-night meal.

Illustration by Fahmi Reza

Fahmi Reza is one of Malaysia's most iconic political graphic artists and activists. Using his wizardry with the pen and his wicked sense of humour, he calls out government and political incompetence and deceit through graphics and posters.

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