There is a new mood gaining momentum, which must become a formidable movement for change to put power in the hands of the people, observes Tota.
The winds of change are blowing over our beloved country.
8 March 2008 was a defining moment in our natonal history. The people woke up from a long sleep of about 50 years. The people in five states voted for non-ethnicity based politics and a needs-based economic policy.
There is a new mood gaining momentum, which must become a formidable movement for change to put power in the hands of the people and firmly establish ‘Ketuanan Rakyat’. This will prevent the mutilation of the Constitution, bad governance, corruption, cronyism and nepotism once and for all.
This nation deserves to be better than what it is. Let us take back our beloved country, secure it from thieves, robbers, plunderers, looters and philanderers, and build a new Malaysia – a Malaysia where democracy in the true sense of the word and rule of law will flourish.
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Let us restore the independence of all institutions such as the civil service, the Attorney General’s Chambers, the judiciary, the police, the Malaysian Anti-Corruption Commission, the Electoral Commission and the Registrar of Societies.
Realise the power of one. There is great wisdom in the people. Be a part of this change. Stand up and be counted. We must keep the beacon of hope burning and pass the sacred torch to future generations.
Reflect on the quotations below and derive inspiration to act:
Speak
Speak, your lips are free.
Speak, it is your own tongue.
Speak, it is your own body.
Speak, your life is still yours.
See how in the blacksmith’s shop
The flame burns wild, the iron glows red;
The locks open their jaws,
And every chain begins to break.
Speak, this brief hour is long enough
Before the death of body and tongue:
Speak, ’cause the truth is not dead yet,
Speak, speak, whatever you must speak.
– Faiz Ahmad Faiz
For writing poetry that always antagonises the ruling elite and challenges colonial and feudal values, Faiz had to go to jail repeatedly during both colonial and postcolonial times in Pakistan. This poem of his (translated into English) seems relevant to us even today, wherever we live.
“All that is necessary for evil to triumph is for good men to do nothing.” – Edmund Burke
“I pass judgement not on those who live under a dictatorship and cannot speak but those who live in freedom and fail to do so.” – Manes Sperber
“Our lives begin to end the day we become silent about the things that matter.” – Martin Luther King Jr
Tota is the pseudonym of an occasional contributor to our Thinking Allowed Online section
AGENDA RAKYAT - Lima perkara utama
- Tegakkan maruah serta kualiti kehidupan rakyat
- Galakkan pembangunan saksama, lestari serta tangani krisis alam sekitar
- Raikan kerencaman dan keterangkuman
- Selamatkan demokrasi dan angkatkan keluhuran undang-undang
- Lawan rasuah dan kronisme
