29/12/2025

MONDAY | DEC 29, 2025

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COMMENT by Dr Mohd Zaidi Md Zabri

Papa Zola and the economics of sacrifice I WATCHED Papa Zola The Movie with my family because it has become one of the most talked about local films of the year and not capture fatigue and employment rates do not reflect emotional strain. Yet, these unseen adjustments play a central role in maintaining household stability, especially for families living close to the margin.

perhaps because it was the school holidays and everyone needed to get out of the house. What I did not expect, however, was how quietly the film would linger with me long after the credits rolled. The Malaysian animated feature has emerged as a box office phenomenon, earning RM26.6 million in just 11 days of screening and overtaking major international titles such as Avatar: Fire and Ash and Zootopia 2 on local charts. For context, the highest-grossing local animated film before this, Ejen Ali The Movie 2 , went on to collect an impressive RM55.1 million after 25 days in cinemas. Against that benchmark, Papa Zola The Movie ’s RM26.6 million haul in just 11 days is hard to ignore, especially when one considers how long even the biggest local animated hits usually need to warm up. Yet, box office numbers alone do not explain why people turned up in such numbers. Audiences are drawn to stories that feel close to home. In Papa Zola The Movie , the central figure is not an out-of this-world superhero but a father doing his best for his family through hard work, persistence and quiet sacrifice. That focus gives voice to the unseen labour of fatherhood and it arrives alongside other Malaysian films, such as Babah, the Best Film winner at the 34th Festival Filem Malaysia, that are beginning to treat fatherhood not as an abstract ideal but as a lived experience. When work pressure enters the home Research helps explain why these stories land so strongly. Studies published in respected journals such as the Journal of Family Psychology show that when fathers face sustained pressure at work and at home, stress often spills into family life. Competing demands can reduce the quality of everyday interactions between parents and children, not because fathers care less, but because emotional and mental energy is finite. In Papa Zola The Movie , this pressure

What children experience in these homes When fathers work long hours or hold multiple jobs, time and energy for daily interaction can become limited. Research in family and labour studies shows that parents under constant pressure often struggle to be fully present emotionally, even when they are physically there. For children, this can affect emotional well-being, particularly when stress is prolonged and unspoken. But children are not simply shaped by absence or strain; they are also shaped by what they see consistently. They notice routines, effort and the quiet determination that fills ordinary days. Many grow up watching a parent leave early, return tired and still show up for the family in whatever ways they can. When warmth and connection are present, these experiences can become sources of strength. Many children who grow up in such environments develop a practical understanding of grit. They learn that progress often requires effort, that responsibility carries weight and that showing up matters even when it is difficult. Over time, these lessons surface in how they approach work, family and adversity, not as burdens, but as quiet guides. To be clear, this is not about glorifying hardship or struggle. Stress has real costs and I feel that reality myself. But what my experience and stories like Papa Zola suggest is that when effort is paired with warmth, presence and simple explanations, children can begin to understand sacrifice not as absence but as care. Why this conversation matters today We are comfortable talking about economic success in terms of income, productivity and growth. We are far less comfortable talking about the personal cost behind those numbers, especially when it comes to fathers. Yet, in a period marked by rising living costs, tighter household budgets and persistent income pressure, those costs are becoming harder to ignore. Perhaps that is why Papa Zola The Movie feels more like a tribute than just a movie. As the credits roll, the film leaves viewers with a simple message: “ Berkorban tanpa meminta, mencintai tanpa berkata. ” (Sacrificing without asking. Loving without words.) It ends by thanking the “hero keluarga” – the heroes of our families. These are heroes who may never call themselves heroes. They keep going not for applause or recognition but so their children can grow without feeling the weight of scarcity. And for the families waiting for them to come home, tired but present, that is exactly what they are. Heroes. Dr Mohd Zaidi Md Zabri was a senior lecturer who used to teach economics and finance at Malaysia’s top-ranked university and writes about economic issues as they are lived and felt in everyday family life. Comments: letters@thesundaily.com

Papa Zola The Movie feels more like a tribute than just a movie. – BERNAMAPIC

is captured most powerfully in a quiet scene. After finishing what is his third job of the day, Papa Zola sits alone in his school bus with a calculator. There is no dramatic dialogue and no raised voice. He is just counting. What looks quiet on screen feels loud in a father’s head. Later, a line many viewers may repeat long after the film ends, “ Jika tidak hari ini, mungkin minggu depan ” (If not today, maybe next week), carries similar weight. On its own, it sounds hopeful. For fathers under pressure, it becomes a way of steadying themselves. And as the line lingers, it carries a harder truth. In a country where news of road accidents on the daily commute is never far away, some fathers do not get to wait for “ minggu depan ”. The economic trade-offs families make From an economic perspective, what

Papa Zola captures is the household side of the economy – where decisions are made under constraint, when wages stagnate, prices rise or job security weakens – families adjust internally. Fathers take on extra shifts, second or third jobs or longer hours. Leisure, rest and sometimes health become the trade-offs. Economists would describe this as households absorbing economic shocks privately. Instead of visible unemployment or sharp drops in consumption, the adjustment takes the form of hidden labour. More time is sold. More energy is spent. More stress is carried by individuals. This keeps households functioning and the wider economy stable but the cost is borne quietly inside families. These sacrifices rarely appear in official statistics. Poductivity figures do design and enforcement practices. The Deeming Provision reinforces the principle that platforms benefiting from user bases in Malaysia must also accept corresponding responsibilities. OCC supports MCMC’s efforts to ensure that service providers operate within a clear, consistent and enforceable system that upholds children’s rights to safety, dignity, privacy and development. Protecting children online is not optional but a legal and moral obligation under international human rights law and Malaysia’s domestic child protection framework. OCC Suhakam

“When fathers work long hours or hold multiple jobs, time and energy for daily

interaction can become limited.

LETTERS letters@thesundaily.com

Enhance platform responsibility for online safety THE Office of the Children’s Commissioner (OCC) under the Human Rights Commission of Malaysia (Suhakam) welcomes the initiative by the Malaysian Communications and Multimedia Commission (MCMC), where communicate and socialise. Digital platforms that facilitate online interaction are responsile for ensuring that their services are designed, governed and enforced in ways that do not harm children.

in online environments. Under the Convention on the Rights of the Child (CRC), children have the right to be protected from all forms of harm, abuse, exploitation and violence, including in digital spaces. These protections are clearly articulated in Articles 3, 19, 34 and 36 of the CRC, which require states, as well as relevant non-state actors, to take proactive measures to address foreseeable risks to children. The Child Act 2001 imposes a clear duty on all parties to protect children from physical, emotional and psychological harm, neglect, abuse and exploitation. In today’s digital landscape, this duty extends to online environments where children increasingly learn,

OCC emphasises that service providers have a duty of care to ensure that their platforms are safe by design and by default for children. This includes implementing effective age appropriate safeguards, preventing access to harmful content, addressing risks of online sexual exploitation and abuse, ensuring robust content moderation and providing accessible reporting and remedy mechanisms. The best interests of the child must guide platform policies, system

internet messaging and social media service providers would be deemed as registered holders of application service provider licences, effective Jan 1, 2026. This is pursuant to the new Section 46A of the Communications and Multimedia Act 1998 (Deeming Provision). This is a significant step in enforcing the Online Safety Act 2025 in Malaysia. It will also strengthen the accountability of digital platforms operating in Malaysia, particularly in safeguarding children