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.

However, borrowing from one of the Transformers movie tagline, we should also see that it is time to change. If we are to have change in Malaysia, we – the Rakyat – must change first. I know it’s human nature to blame anyone and anything but ourselves. But if we are really honest with ourselves, we know that things will only begin to change when we ourselves change.

And that’s not all. In order for us to change first, we must believe that not only change is possible but that our change will make the critical difference. Whatever it is, at the end of the day, for all Malaysians to have a better future, it is not up to the politicians. It is up to us, the Rakyat.

My question is this: do you have the courage to do the right (and responsible) thing? The fate of Malaysia lies in your answer.

Anyway, what’s interesting was that I’ve been wanting to write a post about the good vs. evil concept – some autobots protect, others destroy. Well, it’s pretty obvious who represents the Decepticons in Malaysia. I don’t know if you’d agree that the opposition parties represent the humans-friendly autobots.

Whatever it is, I liked what Optimus Prime said at the end of the movie – something about humanity’s “capacity for courage”.

Insofar as earth and humanity are concerned, we definitely have to do something about the climate crisis and our environment. Happily and proudly, I attended a protest today with some groups of residents in Puchong Lestari. The SCT Saujana Puchong folks have been fighting for the Ayer Hitam Forest Reserve for a few years now.

There were about 100 people coming together from five tamans to protect the forest reserve. The Selangor state government approved the project for some influential businessmen to set up a cemetery and build a crematorium there. Indeed, the plan to build a previously approved access road between the housing areas have been scrapped and swept under the carpet.

To ensure that the peace is kept, and perhaps to send a signal to the residents that the authorities are watching them, a few squad cars were sent to the scene of the protest. And, of course, the SBs were there to take photos and mingle with the crowd.

In Malaysia, citizens asserting their fundmental liberties – it’s our constitutional right to assemble peaceably – is a rare sight. So, I congratulate them for having the courage to face the authorities and fight for what’s right. It’s a simple thing to do, but it takes a whole lot of courage!

(Check out the Keadilan Puchong website for pics)

If you thought the weather in UK was bad, it just got worse. As far as I’m concerned, this is a very real sign that the earth is undergoing extreme “hormonal changes”. And if we don’t start taking steps to change our destructive lifestyles, we’re not going to leave much of a legacy to our children.

By the way, if you haven’t yet watched Al Gore’s An Inconvenient Truth, check it out.