Turn the tide in 2019

I STILL vividly remember waking up on May 10 with euphoria and an immense feeling of hope for our nation. In the seven months since that fateful day, many things have happened, some anticipated and some not. That’s life, for we can never anticipate everything.

There has been one constant, though, and that is continuous criticism of the current government, not only by the parties that comprise the Opposition, but also by numerous other groups and individuals, each with their own agenda in mind.

The key issue is that we placed a lot of hope in what is now the ruling government to turn the tide around for our nation, which was on the verge of being swallowed into a dark whirlpool under the previous administration. Now that we have had a taste of how the current government is performing, we are beginning to see the flaws and shortcomings.

The reality is, no government is perfect, as there are no perfect human beings. Yes, I agree that they are accountable to the rakyat in ensuring that they deliver on the promises that were laid down in their manifesto. However, beyond that, what is imperative is how they administer and manage the challenges that they inherited from the previous administration; also, how they handle issues that affect the rakyat, eg, cost of living, protection of children and women, the welfare of all Malaysians in the B40 (lower income) category, etc.

I have two wishes for 2019. The first one is that the respective individuals and parties that comprise Pakatan Harapan spend more time working together in rebuilding our nation rather than protecting their own agendas. I know, politicking will always be present, however it is a question of to what extent and how disruptive it is in derailing the bigger agenda that the government ought to be focusing on. For the ones who will be affected most if the government fails are the rakyat.

My second wish is that the government, Opposition parties, NGOs and the rakyat in general remember that we are not Malay, Chinese, Indian, Kadazan, Iban, Murut, etc, first, but Malaysians first and foremost. Each and every one of us has a personal responsibility to respect one another and work together to maintain the unity, fellowship and peace in our beloved nation, Malaysia.

Let’s all work hand in hand in turning the tide in 2019 to ensure that Malaysia returns to being a formidable country.

Merry Christmas and Happy New Year!