Elated.Energized.Encouraged

My dear, fellow Malaysians,

How very proud I am of you. You've demonstrated great growth and maturity in thought and emotions. You've put human rights activists, bloggers, a brave (accidental) cameraman, an ISA-detainee (and former ISA-detainees), a respected economist, and people of tremendous integrity into our government. It took a helluva lot of chutzpah to do what you did; be proud of yourselves.

It took chutzpah because the change we saw required a tremendous ability to imagine, to hope quietly and to allow, even for a fleeting moment, to believe that dreams could be made possible. It took chutzpah because we had to first resist the instinctive calls of apathy that many Malaysians make, and the disbelief we often react with when suggested that change is possible.

Twenty-five hours before the election results were due to be announced, I said that winning or losing in this election will not dictate whether or not the process of revolution will continue. Although our wins far surpassed what most of us dared to hope for, this remains true. We've only taken the first step - yes, it is a significant one, but in the grand scale of things that must be done, it is only a small step.

At about 3 a.m on March 9th, after having to wait hours for SPR to get it's act together and to officially announce what we already knew (that Sivarasa K. Rasiah had won the Subang Parliament seat), Mr. (YB) Sivarasa, in his short speech of thanks to his supporters, said we need to get to work right away. Despite running on barely any sleep for the past 2 weeks, work was the first thing on his mind. Rightly so.

R.Nadeswaran quoted the former Bar Council president, Yeo Yang Poh in his column today: "They must never forget, not even in their sleep, that their much-improved victory is not their victory, but the victory of the people. Thus, they must serve the people with humility and dedication. They should be proud, not of their success, but of the people who have enabled them to succeed".

Humility & dedication; Integrity & courage; Honour & transparency - perhaps we are not used to associating these words with politicians, but we damn well have the right to demand that our elected representatives uphold these principles.

These next 5 years are not going to be easy, at all. Coordinating the leadership between PAS/PKR/DAP will have it's challenges. Dealing with the b.s that will be thrown our way by BN will be frustrating. Working around an unfair system will make our blood boil. We have promised the people alot, and while we can't achieve everything (as we don't control the Federal Government), we can certainly do everything that's within our power, and push for what's not within our power.

But, these past 2 weeks were not easy either, far from it! We had one obstacle after another to fight with: no access to the mainstream media, an EC that was all out to deny the Opposition a fair election, phantoms and the resurrected voting against us, threats by the BN leaders that there will be chaos & instability, our posters and banners ripped down, seriously questionable postal votes...to name a few. Despite all of this, we pulled together as a team, we refused to be defined along racial lines, we got our heads out of rear ends and put our egos aside. We were persistent. We were creative. When we saw another falter, we helped them up. We denied BN a 2/3 majority. We won an unbelievable FIVE States. We achieved what didn't even appear in the consciousness of possibilities for many.

Imagine what would have happened if the elections were really fair & free?

Yes, it is incredibly frustrating that we can't go out and celebrate in all glory, but it is also sobering because the time for work is now. It is not just our new leaders that have to work; it takes the collective effort of an entire nation to uphold democracy. We too must work, and work hard. We need to change our mindset of allowing our leaders to do as they please. We cannot wait 50 years to express dissatisfaction. We cannot wait another 5 years to throw out our PKR/DAP/PAS leaders if they do not perform. If we don't like what they are doing, tell them now, so that change can happen. They have not come into power so that they can revel in the glamor of YB-hood. They came into power because they promised to work for us. Let's ensure that.

My dear Malaysians, the time has come for us to allow ourselves to imagine, to work hard, to be persistent in the fight for justice & democracy. We cannot mudah lupa. On March 9th at about 1 am, standing outside the MPPJ building, a man said this to his young son, "You may not realize now how long it took for us to get to this point. We have worked hard for 50 years, now you have to ensure that our work is not wasted". Nearby, a little girl (about the age of 4), was twirling a giant Keadilan flag. As she dragged it in lazy, content circles, she quietly sang to herself "merdeka....merdeka...merdeka".

We have fought the good fight, and must continue to do so. As Paulo Coelho states in The Alchemist, "It is important never to relax, however far you have come" (1988).

Stretch, eat a hearty meal, get some sleep, have a good laugh, drink lots of water. It's back to the grind (but what a more joyous time it shall be!).

Elated.Energized.Encouraged;

; ) katrina
---

"Enthusiasm is the force that leads us to the final victory"
~ The Pilgrimage