It is clear that the winds of change have swept through this country we call Malaysia. Speaking as a Malaysian (one of Indian descent) I have these humble observations to make clear.

To the Government:

The rakyat has made clear their intentions - they want change. The fact that they chose you as their representatives means that the rakyat are giving you another term to deliver on the promises you made on the election trail. Please bear this in mind. To the government I say (as I believe do all who love this country and call it home – never mind those, whom we, the rakyat , elected who recently gave us an option to leave if we did not like it) do not take lightly your promises.

A clever man, they say learns from his mistakes. Be clever, realise that you have dismally failed the people in delivering your lofty promises of the last elections. Take stock and reflect on this.

Could you have delivered a cleaner, transparent and excellent government? Of course, you could.

All it took was the guts to do it. To have the guts to act decisively and firmly for the good of those who entrusted the leadership of the country to you. To ruffle a few feathers, to kick some butt as they say, to trim some fat for the sake of the nation.

But no, dear Prime Minister, the records, what little we have privy to, show that you as Chief Executive and Captain, failed abysmally to take control of your ship. There was nobody accountable for all the excesses carried out during your term in office. Let not this state of affairs repeat itself. Be clever enough to note that precedents have been set. The rakyat especially the younger electorate, who have access to alternative media forms have come to realise that they can collectively bring change.

Make no mistake. They are a force to be reckoned with. You underestimate them to your own peril. You and all in your cabinet are accountable to them. Unless you have compromised your integrity, you have no one to fear accept God (your words, not mine) so this time walk humbly, act justly and be fair to ALL Malaysians.

All is not lost. Sure you and your team have taken a real beating but that is just punishment. Like a child who has done wrong you have been admonished and some of your toys taken away. You have now the golden chance to redeem yourselves. Do not make the terrible mistake of viewing the Opposition as your enemies. That is too juvenile. They are your partners in nation-building. If you do not believe me, check to see what their goals are for the beautiful country. You will find they are not dissimilar from your own, unless you did not mean your campaign promises.

This is my opinion of what you did or did not do after the last election. You should have called your team together and told them in no uncertain terms that you were going to be responsible for delivering the promises you made. The buck stops with you and if they did not like it then they could step down. Then since you had the rakyat ’s mandate you should have started by calling for the resignations of all the heads of department that were a stumbling block to this goal. You should have kicked some serious butt. The rakyat would have backed you 100 percent. You should have done the same with the Judiciary and the Police and the Armed Forces. You should have put people to head these important posts who were capable and honest and mostly accountable to you for any shortcomings.

Once this was done you should have checked on what was happening in the delivery of these services. You should have acted without fear or favour, after all you are the Prime Minister and fearful of no man, right?

The good news is that you can begin to do so right now. If you are without blemish as you rightly claim, punish those in power who misuse it through the proper channels of course - through an independent judiciary. And five years later you will again enjoy the rakyat’s confidence and have strengthened your position. Foreign investment would have poured into the country and we would be back on solid ground internationally for our transparency and good governance. Fill your cabinet with those who are worthy, not ‘yes men’ and power and wealth-craving individuals who will stop at nothing to bleed the country dry and line their pockets in the process.

To the Opposition

Firstly, syabas on a fantastic achievement. I have never been prouder to be Malaysian. The road ahead is full of trials and challenges. Understand that the people of Malaysia want you to deliver the promises you made. Be smart, understand why the Government faired so poorly in these just concluded elections. You have won in five states. To those in charge of these states, be firm, be fair and be single-minded in delivering your promise. You task is easier. You have often heard the refrain ‘Ah, Singapore can because it is so small’ so take your cue from this, clean up your administration.

Call in the department heads and tell them your vision and if they claim to be myopic, kick butt! Pension off all the deadwood, money grabbing, power-hungry hirelings of the previous administration. Remember strike hard and decisively to make clear your intentions. The same advice that I gave to the government applies to you too. But yours is the easier task as you don’t have a bad four year track-record to overcome. Though this is a double-edged sword - the rakyat may be even harder on you if you fail to deliver.

The only way to get the government to take notice of you and begin to work with you is if you can bring about positive change, something they failed to do. That’s why you must get the best (on merit) to be on your team. There are good Malaysians of every race out there, who have hung onto their citizenship, hoping for a day like this. That day has dawned and it is up to you to make it a reality. The honeymoon is over. Get cracking on the real issues. If you can begin to deliver what you said you would, you will find foreign and local investors knocking on your door to invest in your state. Can it be done? Of course. This time let us be proud when we say Malaysia Boleh!

Secondly understand that you have to unite – all of you PKR, PAS and DAP. You have achieved this collectively – make no mistake about this. Remember on the ground when the rakyat voted for you it was firstly a vote against the current government. That is why ALL Malaysians (of all races and faiths) crossed psychological barriers to vote for PKR, PAS and DAP. And recognise that THAT is a huge barrier for an individual to overcome after years of steady racial and religious polarisation that has made a myth of the solidarity we used to enjoy in the past.

This is your God-given opportunity to heal the festering sores that are the legacy of decades of systematic erosion of racial unity for one reason or the other. Make no mistake, the rakyat expects this of you. This is no time for hidden agendas. It is time for healing and solidarity. Learn from the mistakes of others and boldly do what you have to. This will enable you to fulfill your campaign promises.

While we don’t envy you the huge task you have before you, we the rakyat will back every decision you make that is fair and just to all Malaysians. We don’t wish you good luck – we wish you success.