When the COVID-19 landed on the global nation, it hits our shores so badly that small business owner ceases to continue, government switches hand more than we can count, people seeks and losses jobs only to have enough food on table, depression begin crawling onto the isolated people and student taking a two year detour from their studies. And we don’t know when it is going to end. Malaysians are inherently proud of their resiliency despite tough times, we do not usually ask for relief or government support. That too took a hit, when the striking cold wind threatens the lives of our children and loved ones. We swallowed our pride and surrendered, raising torn clothes as white flags asking solidarity from co-workers, landlords and neighbours. Most important of all, we lost our ability to imagine.

This year, TEDxUKM serves to revive, rekindle the spirit of imagination and re-imagination. Reimagination is an opportunity to think of new solutions and ideas with no boundaries; to amend, to redefine, to reform; to remedy; to revisit and to reimagine a future for future generations. Perhaps it’s flying cars and robotic dogs, or perhaps it’s not, it is up to us, the imagineers. Now, it is high time to re-imagine our ideas: What does it mean to be a Malaysian? How can we have holistic growth in the nation? What are the scientific methods in promoting progressiveness? We need to address the past in order to reimagine a better future. Imagination requires meticulousness to tiny detail; and enormous courage to acknowledge what we did wrong. Hence, we ought to Re: Imagine.