A look back at 2021

A man walks past the famous Sogo shopping mall in Kuala Lumpur, which was shut alongside all other businesses considered as non-essential during the second movement control order to curb the spread of Covid-19.

The first month of 2021 saw Yang di-Pertuan Agong Sultan Abdullah Sultan Ahmad Shah consenting to a state of emergency over the Covid-19 pandemic, which expired six months later but not before protests and controversies surrounding its annulment. Photo: AP

A woman wearing a protective face mask prays at the Thean Hou Temple in Kuala Lumpur on the first day of Chinese New Year, celebrated under the so-called new normal.

Malaysia Airlines flight MH604 lands at KLIA in Sepang, carrying the country’s first 312,390 doses of the much awaited Covid-19 vaccine by Pfizer-BioNTech.

Workers gather at the site of an accident at the MRR2 Highway where a bridge still under construction collapsed on a bus on March 3, killing two and injuring three others.

A police officer waits to receive a shot of the Pfizer-BioNTech Covid-19 vaccine during the first phase of vaccination for frontliners under the National Covid-19 Immunisation Programme on March 5.

Youths hold placards during a Undi 18 protest in front of the Parliament building in Kuala Lumpur on March 27. The gathering took place to protest the Election Commission’s delay in allowing those aged 18 to 21 to vote.

Muslims pray at Masjid Kampung Baru on the first day of Ramadan on April 12. Religious activities were allowed leading up to Hari Raya, but subject to strict SOPs including physical distancing.

Children play with sparklers at the Sri Melaka flats in Kuala Lumpur as they celebrate Hari Raya on May 2. At this point, interstate travel was still banned under the movement control order.

Rescue personnel carry a woman out on a stretcher after a collision between two LRT trains on the Kelana Jaya line between the Kampung Baru and KLCC stations in Kuala Lumpur on May 24.

A road once bustling with Kuala Lumpur’s famous traffic stands nearly empty during the third movement control order on June 1.

Orang Asli children from Kampung Kemidak attend an online school session at a makeshift hut in the jungles of Bekok in Johor, as Covid-19 continued to disrupt face-to-face classes throughout much of the year.

Medical workers administer a dose of vaccine to an elderly woman during house-to-house visits in Sungai Besar, Selangor, on July 13.

Contract medical doctors hold up placards urging the health ministry to give them permanent positions during a peaceful strike in Kuala Lumpur on July 26.

Protesters dressed in black carry placards as they march towards Dataran Merdeka during a rally on July 31 calling for then prime minister Muhyiddin Yassin to resign over his perceived failure to manage the Covid-19 pandemic.

Opposition lawmakers march to Dataran Merdeka in Kuala Lumpur in a separate rally on Aug 1 calling for Muhyiddin’s resignation after Parliament was closed and the day’s sitting postponed to prevent the spread of Covid-19.

An Orang Asli dressed up as the cultural figure of Puteri Mayang Pinang of Mah Meri tribe leaves a mobile vaccination centre after receiving her second dose of Pfizer-BioNTech vaccine in Pulau Carey on Aug 15.

Muhyiddin waves as he arrives at Istana Negara to submit his resignation as prime minister to Yang di-Pertuan Agong Sultan Abdullah Sultan Ahmad Shah on Aug 16. Muhyiddin resigned following pressure from a group of Umno MPs led by their president Ahmad Zahid Hamidi and former prime minister Najib Razak.

A man inspects the damage inflicted by the floods which hit houses, chalets and shops in Gurun and Yan in Kedah, even causing some buildings to collapse. Six people died while over 1,000 were affected.

Ismail Sabri Yaakob takes his oath of office before Yang di-Pertuan Agong Sultan Abdullah Sultan Ahmad Shah at Istana Negara on Aug 21. Photo: Bernama

A man covered in Malaysian flags from head to toe rides his motorcycle in Kuala Lumpur on Aug 25, as the country prepared to celebrate Merdeka under Covid-19 restrictions.

The full moon rises beside the Petronas Twin Towers in Kuala Lumpur on Sept 21, as the Chinese community celebrated the annual mid-autumn festival.

Teachers at SMK Bandar Sunway in Petaling Jaya help a special needs student who hesitates at the main gate on the first day of school, as physical classes resumed after months of lockdown and home-based sessions.

Activists hold up posters showing the face of Nagaenthran K Dharmalingam, a Malaysian on death row in Singapore whose case garnered international attention.

Barisan Nasional supporters watch the scoreboard as results trickle in for the Melaka election on Nov 20, which the coalition won by a comfortable margin.

An aerial shot of the exclusive residential neighbourhood of Bukit Petaling, where a house for former prime minister Najib Razak was to be built at a total cost to the government of RM100 million. Najib later revoked his application for the house following strong public backlash.

A man ties his boat at the jetty in Kampung Lintang, Sarawak, on Dec 7, beneath a huge flag bearing the logo of Gabungan Parti Sarawak ahead of the state election.

A woman wearing a headband calling for Najib Razak’s release waits with other supporters of the former prime minister at Istana Kehakiman ahead of the appeals court’s decision to uphold his verdict and sentence in the SRC International case.

A truck sits half-submerged in water below an overpass filled with vehicles caught in a traffic jam on Dec 20, as several townships in the Klang Valley were hit by the worst floods in decades.

A man inspects a car, among many vehicles including a four-wheel drive that were washed away by the massive floods in Hulu Langat outside Kuala Lumpur.

The Merdeka 118 tower in Kuala Lumpur, formerly known as the Warisan Merdeka Tower, enters the final stage of construction. Once completed, it will be the tallest building in the country at 644m, surpassing the Petronas Towers, and the second tallest building in the world after Burj Khalifa in Dubai.

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