January becomes a quiet conversation between the city and its people. As the city enters another New Year, what does it ask for? As people, our New Year usually begins with personal preferences — “New year, new me”, “My new year’s resolution is to stop drinking”, “Spend less time doom-scrolling and more time vibing”, and so on.
As a city that has gained more and more recognition— through tourism, festivals, or even individuals making headlines and social media appearances for their respectable behaviour — what would be our city’s New Year’s resolution? If it could speak, it would remind us that our city is not failing on its own. It fails when planning lacks geographical understanding, when development forgets its limit, where governance settles for temporary fixes, and when citizens grow accustomed to inconveniences.
What would our city ask for? Would it ask for better leaders or leadership that values long-term planning over quick results? Would it ask to remove rotten fruits that give a bad name to various departments? Would it ask for roads built with patience, not urgency; solutions for heavy traffic; for salaries to be paid on time; for government servants to reach their workplace on time? Would it ask that long-standing border disputes and growing crisis in drugs, unemployment, public health (especially HIV), to be treated with seriousness not silence? Would it ask for stricter control over pornography due to its harmful influence on youngsters and even adults?
Would it ask people to drive responsibly? To understand driving under the influence or impatience costs lives. To respect the law, not only out of fear but out of care for one another. Would it ask these Zen and other car owners to do away with modifications influenced by Tokyo Drift? For such modifications are not only a nuisance but are also against the law. Would it ask the ML-04 drivers to dim their headlights when an oncoming vehicle approaches? Or would it ask local YouTubers to avoid using vulgar words while creating content. For words shape behaviour, and vulgarity normalised today becomes violence justified tomorrow.
Would it ask people to practice more empathy day by day? To judge less and listen more, for there are always two sides of a story. To choose patience over the tendency to speculate and assume. To stop finger pointing without evidence. To temper criticism of those who serve to protect us. To resist rumours and gossip and focus on growth instead. A city weakens when suspicion becomes louder than understanding.
Perhaps the city longs for a time when strangers could trust one another. Where kindness was instinctive, where headlines were not dominated by murder, corruption, rape, violence, and fear. If our city were January, it would not ask for miracles. It would ask for seriousness, patience, unity, and care — every month every day, not just at the beginning of the year. Cities don’t get a fresh start. Hope isn’t a resolution, responsibility is. The ball is in our court.
The opinions expressed in this publication are those of the author. They do not purport to reflect the opinions or views of 4Front Media or its members.
