White Board Nation

Malaysians, in all walks of life, have a

chance to rewrite their dreams, hopes and ideas in the formation of their destinies and their children's future.

This rare window of opportunity, afforded by the democratic change in the government on 9th May 2018, will give us a chance to not repeat our past mistakes but to resolve old problems with a new focus, a new perspective.

In this sense, we are now, within the first year of the new government, a white board nation on which we can draw the plan for a new destiny, a new future that will be socially, economically and spiritually fulfilling for all Malaysians (across all races, all income groups).

Imagine a huge white board viewable on our hand phone devices. It is just a tool of friendly discussion, of mature debate and brainstorming. It is an open board for all citizens to see, exchange and share ideas.

Nonetheless, there are 4 guiding principles in drafting our deepest wishes for Malaysia Baru.

1. We must keep the fire burning in our bellies.

Never cease to be excited about the new future and do not allow the cynical old voice to come back and cloud our optimism. (We may feel the honeymoon is over after 3 months but it is essential to continue being inspired and excited. Fear and inferiority complex may resurface so we have to keep these emotions at bay in our daily lives).

As an example, when we encounter alarming posts such as this: "We now has a race who believe they are the owner of the country where other races (including the indigenous) needs to kowtow to, while other races who are minority felt being suppressed and bullied in the land they called home."

KEEP your emotions in check. Whether or not the above comment applies to political instigators themselves or their party members, we should tactfully refute it and look at the bright side of mankind. Reinforcing stereotypes or certain traits can only worsen race relations.

2. We must have the final end in view.

As Shakespeare wrote: "All's well that ends well." The end is to be a nation that is harmonious and united despite the differences in race and faiths. (Labels may be symbolic but we know how to treasure and respect each other quietly).

Most important, we must learn to engage with people of different parties, different races to share with them our fears, hopes and dreams.

The enemy within is not a person or group of persons. (They will pay the price according to the law). Rather the enemy within is greed for wealth and power. Clearly, we need to be a wealthy nation but through hard work, not through wealth transfers or unaccounted for donations.

3. Find Sovereign Solutions.

We must find our own solutions and put our nation's sovereign well-being first before any other interest.

Given the corruption and geopolitical dynamics of the present international order, we have even more reason to not be swayed or coerced into complying or conforming with any global agreement.

4. Integrity and a clean goverment must be upheld.

Our nation has just avoided the fate of a typical banana kleptocractic state by voting out a  party that was plagued with historic corruption scandals.

So ethics and transparency are paramount. (Of course, this doesnt mean running an austerity budget or paying peanuts to civil servants. Talent must be attracted to contribute to making this nation dynamic and highly productive).

In a world of deceit and intrigue, we need to be as cunning and street smart, if not more than the perpetrators of the international and national fraud, the 1MDB heist.

Implicit in the white board analogy, we have wiped out all the baggage and tragedies of the past (especially the past decade) and we start afresh with a clean board to draft our new future.