Will 'UBAH' sweep through the land?

"You can fool all the people some of the time, and some of the people all the time, but you cannot fool all the people all the time." - A Lincoln.


Change is inevitable. When there is a clarion call for change, a chain of action is unleashed, whether for the better or for worse. In a way, change can be more devastating to a mammoth organization that is unwilling or unable to embrace change, forever mired in the status quo.

Events of the past 1 week in Malaysia has strongly indicated that the behemoth called National Front (BN) has been rejected by the majority of the urban population, heralding a wave of change across the nation. From black 505, to the inspirational black Wednesday, emotions are running high on how best to dethrone a government supported by the minority.

However, we must put on our thinking cap and reflect on both side of the political divide. BN has a big armamentarium of national resources due to 56 years of uninterrupted rule over a blessed, resourceful land. Is the People's Alliance (PR) ready to challenge the 'Death Star', a juggernaut firmly entrenched in the ideologies of yesteryears, the ideology of divide-and-rule? Until and unless the evil doctrine left behind by our so-called colonial masters half a century ago is firmly eradicated, we cannot move forward. According to the principles of root cause analysis, we cannot improve unless we look into the system and eradicate the root causes. Otherwise, we are only treating the symptoms and not the disease, the root issues.

 Is the opposition without it's faults and fallacy too? We are all human with feet of clay, fallible and humble creatures. Of course the vast majority of their supporters know that too, but from the events in KJ Stadium, where the unity of all people are on show, PR is on the way to unite, instead of divide-and-rule. Their leaders ain't perfect, and as human, we will never be.

Yet, we are firmly behind them because of the hope they represent. Normal reticent Malaysians are no longer waiting patiently at the backstage. We are ready to take on the juggernaut at a higher level. We are ready to be a beacon of hope and change in a region filled with entrenched monopoly of power in various countries. We are ready to be a mature democracy, with a clean electoral commissions and fair judiciary. We are ready to experience sound, transparent governance and eradication of the silent apartheid.

How about the other root causes? I would say it's economic and social development. If our rural friends are in different stages of development, both socially and economically, who are we to blame? We can only blame ourselves for years of apathy, for letting our fellow Malaysians struggle in making daily living. We can only blame ourselves for electing the current government into power over the past 12 elections. The political divide is only reflective of the social divide we have let ourselves drift into over the years. Public outcry and demonstrations are the loudspeakers, but empty vessels make the loudest sounds. Action speaks louder than words. Action needs to be translated into tangible results.

My dear fellow Malaysians, go into every corner of the country and reconcile. Not only to reconcile the political differences but tackle the root causes. The government may be illegitimate in the eyes of many, but long periods of instability would only make our country weaker and exposed to external danger. I plead to the leaders on both side of the political divide to decide maturely, wisely, peacefully and for the good of the people. For in the end, what we hope for is the peace, freedom and prosperity of our country.

"Government of the people, by the people, for the people, shall not perish from the Earth."  - A Lincoln.

The article began and ended with quotes from President Abraham Lincoln, one of my favourite leaders of all time. Let the change to a better government begin, from the hearts of the people, the cries on the streets to the mightiest palaces of the land.