AFTER going through Route 2022, I have decided that the vote I had cast in the Nov 19 GE15 ballot box is not a “minority” vote. My vote like the rest of those who came out to vote is equal in every sense of the word. As Malaysians, we should be proud of the fact that we had voted and exercised our right to do so. No one should ever cast doubt on who we are and what we can do as a nation.
My resolution for the New Year is to stop listening to the “old foxes” who continue to clang on nonsensical race and religion gibberish with their rubbish bin covers. It doesn’t affect me anymore as I am convinced that Malaysians will just move on to more practical things to do for a better future together.
It’s now the time to let wounds heal and move on. The nation needs to heal before it can take on bigger and better changes. No doubt, we are still recovering from post-GE15 symptoms.
But we are on the road to recovery. Subang Jaya is a good example of how we have moved on post-GE15. While we watch how Prime Minister Datuk Seri Anwar Ibrahim is assembling his Cabinet, communities in Subang Jaya have restarted their initiatives to make this city a better place to live in together.
Subang MP Wong Chen is optimistic that our Klinik Kesihatan will now see the light of day. He has shared his plans to push for this much-needed facility with the new Health Minister Dr Zaliha Mustafa and to make it a top priority in the administration. In the previous government, the plan had been resubmitted in Budget 2023 and this is something Wong Chen said he would pursue as our Member of Parliament.
Route 2022 has been nothing but exciting for me. It marked the nation’s recovery from Covid-19. It returned some sense of normalcy to our lives albeit many of us still tread carefully be it at work or at home. Public places have become crowded once again and so have our roads.
GE15 was an exciting affair for me. In the two weeks of following the campaign trail in Subang, I had probably met more people than I did in 2020 or 2021.It was a fresh breath of air seeing familiar and new faces; and making new acquaintances and friends along the way. This experience was probably the highlight of Route 2022 for me.
Route 2023 is ready. Everyone seems set to change lanes and get a head start in the New Year. This December, everyone’s busy – watching the World Cup until the wee hours of the morning; shopping for Christmas or enjoying a much deserved year-end holiday with family and friends. Shopping malls are filled with shoppers looking for year-end sales and bargains especially with Christmas just weeks away.
Have I had time to draw up a list of resolutions for the New Year? Honestly, I have not. But at the top of my head, I can only hope that every ordinary Malaysian like me will realise that 2023 is the time when get our hands dirty in nation building. We must now walk the talk; and not just be bystanders complaining and bitching about how things should be done (your way) at kopitiams, markets or get-togethers.
Those of you who have bumped into me in recent weeks would have heard me say that “We are all in this together. We build our future together. We should not be bystanders. It is our responsibility to get our hands dirty to bring our Malaysia further up the ladder. Sink or swim, we have to be together; and not be divided.”
This is “tempat tumpahnya darahku” and I am willing to fight for a better Malaysia for me, my children and my children’s children. Are you?
Route 2023 will be a journey where we will still be at the driver’s seat. But we have to plan, teach, guide and finally hand over the wheel to our next generation. Time and resources should be invested in our younger generation; to nurture the new batch of leaders of tomorrow. We cannot be at the helm forever without any successor. Sooner or later, we will find ourselves doing repetitive things, grumbling more, fighting among ourselves and maybe land up being more destructive than productive.
I am sure the present batch of community leaders do feel the aching creaking bones when they squat down to plant a tree; and although they may brush it off, they too realise that new blood is needed to do things better, more efficiently and subsequently to yield better results for the community.
Let’s have a great Christmas and an even better time welcoming Route 2023. I am sure some bright sparks will appear somewhere in those celebrations.
