Reading about how badly the Malay community has been affected by diabetes on the news and social media platforms inspired Ms. Nur Zukhairiah Hamdan, 31, to join Diabetes Singapore’s Malay poetry competition to do her part in raising awareness about the disease Afford.
The Malay language teacher at Jurong Secondary School said, “I want my readers to appreciate their health more and not take it for granted after reading my poem.”
She was the winner among 15- to 35-year-olds in the poetry competition. She was joined by Ms. Norlila Abdul Ghani (44), who took first place among the 36 to 59-year-olds, and Ms. Kamaria Buang (63) in the category 60 and above.
Diabetes Singapore, a nonprofit that provides education, support and advice to diabetics and their families, said it chose poetry as its medium because it resonates with the Malay community.
More than 350 entries were received between March 12 and April 15.
It is said that Malaysians are disproportionately burdened with diabetes-related complications. 14.4 percent of them had diabetes last year, compared with 8.2 percent of the Chinese, as highlighted in Parliament last month.
The Minister in the Prime Minister’s Office, Maliki Osman, who was guest of honor at the awards ceremony in Wisma Geylang Serai yesterday, said: “The issue of diabetes has been a challenge for the Malay community for some time. It is not simply because the problem is a lot with lifestyle and Diet has to do with what people have long been used to.
“Hopefully this medium (poetry) will raise awareness of diabetes in the Malay community. The poems are an innovative way to get people to think about important messages and appreciate the Malay language and culture.”
Ms. Kamaria, who like the other two winners, received $ 1,000 in prize money, has been a writer for more than 40 years. Over a hundred of her poems were published in the Malay language newspaper Berita Harian.
“My message is that people are remembering to prioritize their health while trying to chase success. If we neglect our health, chronic diseases like diabetes can emerge. Once we have them, it’s very difficult to treat.” and cure it, “she said.
Ms. Kamaria, who currently teaches sewing at various community centers, added that it was one of the reasons seeing one of her close friends lose a leg to diabetes, which led her to join the competition and raise awareness of the severity of the disease Sharpen disease.
For Ms. Norlila, a Malay language teacher at Da Zhong Elementary School, taking part in the competition was an opportunity to challenge her skills as a poet while doing something for a good cause. “I felt it was a responsibility to put the spotlight on diabetes so the community knew how serious it was.”
Through her work, she hopes to encourage her readers to take the necessary steps to lead healthier lifestyles before diabetes becomes a problem for them. “As a Malay language teacher, it was also a unique and meaningful way to introduce the Malay community to our culture and language,” she added.
Dr. Maliki said efforts to fight diabetes can be expanded to other media to better engage the Malay community and help them better understand the severity of diabetes.
For example, he suggested that there might be songs and jingles that contain messages to fight diabetes because they are “easy to remember”. “The most important thing is that people understand the long-term effects of diabetes. The medical costs are high and families are affected,” he said.
