Appreciate and honor our best

WORLD March 1st was World Civil Defense Day.

The theme of this year’s celebration is ‘The Role of Information Technology in Risk Assessment’.

This aligns strongly with the search and rescue work done by the Malaysian Civil Defense Forces, who along with other Malaysian uniformed personnel were on the scene during the recent earthquake that struck Turkiye and Syria.

Information technology, be it hardware or software, will be of great help not only in operations but also in minimizing losses and injuries to the personnel on duty.

In the same breath, I call on other Malaysians to pay tribute to the sacrifices made by my brothers and sisters in the Malaysian Civil Defense Force.

These officers and staff do not ask much, they have always fulfilled the call of duty and are among the first to respond to emergencies.

Their recent involvement in the Batang Kali landslide and the Turkiye Syria earthquake tragedies is a testament to their hard work, dedication and commitment to the king and country, and they have put service ahead of themselves.

It is unfortunate that some people are unaware of the existence of the civil defense force, despite having been in the field for 70 years.

In light of World Civil Defense Day, I call on everyone to recognize the sacrifices and dedication of not only the Civil Defense Force, but other uniformed personnel who have worked tirelessly.

Don’t take them for granted. Maybe they won’t be there tomorrow.

Every time they operate, they fight tooth and claw. They too have families waiting for them at home.

Let’s remember and appreciate the sacrifices made by all uniformed staff and frontliners in Malaysia.

I would like to take this opportunity to wish all civil defense workers around the world, regardless of their rank, a Happy World Civil Defense Day.

Yeap Ming Liong

Deputy Captain

Civil Protection Force of Malaysia