To all my fellow Malaysians, regardless of race or religion, I would like to share passages from two books — one written by a Muslim and the other by a Jew.

The passages from The Eternal Message of Muhammad by Abd al-Rahman Azzam:

“In its modern form, nationalism is a new evil, and racism is worse still; and there is no cure for either except to uproot tens of millions from their present places of residence and confine them to specific geographic areas.”

The Message of Muhammad recognizes neither nationalism nor racism in their modern contexts; the fatherland of the Muslim admits no geographic delimitations—it coextends with the faith. In reality, it is a spiritual fatherland, just as religion is a spiritual matter.”

“Racism, or a fanatic attachment to tribe, nation, color, language, or culture, is rejected by the Message as a product of pre-Islamic idolatry. The prophet declares, “He is not of us who preaches bigotry.” Islam rejects every form of bigotry. All loyalties are directed to the word of God, and no relation above the spiritual is recognized.”

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Change. That’s what it’s all about this year, isn’t it? Well, at least that’s what has been grabbing our attention both in Malaysia and abroad. Regardless of whether it’s A New Dawn For Malaysia or Change We Can Believe In, change seems to be the theme of the day.

And, somehow, most people seem to be quite happy with the changes or looking forward to the impending changes. I guess people are just fed up with the status quo. Although I am encouraged by the enthusiasm for change, I note an anomaly here.

As far as I know, people just love their comfort zones. And people resist change all the time. Isn’t it true? Try changing the culture in an organisation and you will see how apparent this is.

So, how do we explain this anomaly?
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I think the initial reactions to the recent general election results would sound something like this:

“Wow! Holy s*@#!”
“Wahliao-eh!”
“Adoi!”

Whatever the language, the exclamations of shock or surprise are not negative – they are just expressions of amazement. Most people that I have spoke to are actually quite happy with the way the election has gone. However, with the favourable winds of change, the Barisan Rakyat will now have to manage it well for the next four or five years. Otherwise, we would have lost a golden opportunity to institutionalise good governance in this rich and beautiful country.

To follow up on my previous posting, I think a course in Change Management is necessary for all new elected representatives. I certainly do not presume to be an expert in the subject. However, I know enough of the subject to know that not only the politicians need to learn it, but the public servants and the rakyat also need to be aware of it.
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Many sceptical Malaysians often say that things will never change in Malaysia. In particular, these people are talking about the political landscape of Malaysia. Although I agree that it is extremely difficult to visualise Malaysian politics any other way, i.e. being dominated by Umno, I strongly believe that we can change things; otherwise, I wouldn’t bother being in a political party.

Party politics aside, many people say that it’s time to change. With all the crime, corruption, educational and environmental (physical, mental and spiritual) damage that Umno has perpetrated on Malaysia, it’s very clear to everyone that it is time for change in Malaysia. Indeed, many would say that change is overdue.
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