I hope that as we enter into the first year of the Pakatan rule in Selangor, Kedah, Penang, we will learn from all that has happened post-March 8, 2008. What are the lessons? Have we learnt? Can we unlearn?

When we look at the tragedies that affect so many nations during a change of government, we must count our blessings that we have avoided such occurrences in the process to bring about change.

Change was the buzz word before March 8, 2008. After more than 50 years of rule by the Barisan Nasional coalition, the rakyat was ready for change. What have we learnt from this fact? The rakyat was clamouring for change and the Pakatan Rakyat offered and promised to bring changes.

Willing buyer, willing seller. Many in Pakatan have forgotten that prior to March 8, 2008, their only goal was to reduce the majority of the Barisan-led federal government. Never was there any plan displayed or shared among Pakatan component parties on how they intended to implement the promised changes.

How could they when all they wanted to was to reduce BN’s two-thirds majority in Parliament? But many in Pakatan began gloating that they deserved a bigger victory if the election was held in a free and fair manner!

Choosing not to consolidate the victories in the four new Pakatan states, their inflated egos pushed the Pakatan leaders to go for broke to capture Putrajaya.

This has been the basic fundamental flaw since March 8. The Perak fiasco is just a manifestation of this flaw. By not choosing to consolidate the victories in the four new states, neglect became obvious in setting up proper structures and empowerment for the many/mostly first time ‘Yang Berhormat’.

The refusal of Pakatan leaders to initiate dialogues on how to find a common ground in spite of their different ideologies further gave Umno and BN the opportunity to constantly raise this inconsistency, for example the hudud issue.

The Pakatan dream of capturing Putrajaya, it seemed, overshadowed everything else. Now that dream may turn into a nightmare as Pakatan continues to ignore serious work.

Pakatan needs serious discussions at all levels in their coalition parties and among them. It also needs to come face to face with their respective beliefs and ideologies and re-discover why everyone got into the arena of ‘politics for change’.

All party members must re-look their personal motivations and remove any agenda that hinders the pursuit of these motivations. It’s more than power, money and status. It's a once in a lifetime opportunity to create and build the future for all Malaysians and for all generations.

This blessed nation has enjoyed peace, prosperity and harmony for so long. We never questioned the governing models of the day until the cost of living and the loss of our personal freedom in culture and religion was pushed to the brink prior to March 8, 2008.

We need to re-discover the beauty of the term we so often use, but with very little conviction to make it a reality and not mere rhetoric. This term is ‘Unity in diversity’, a phenomenon so many Malaysians were proud to be identified with.

Highjacked and brutalised, this phenomenon has become a mystery to many today. Can we ever restore the beauty this nation once enjoyed? Why, the word colour-blind was not even necessary, because we were just that, metaphorically speaking.

Racists, greedy and soon-to-be-irrelevant politicians have much to answer to their children and the future generations when their offspring read books by nostalgic Malaysian authors about the ‘good old days’.

Can we unlearn? Today, there is a real fear of the return of Mahathirism. Are we, post-March 8, 2008 still going to operate under fear or can our collective love for our nation Malaysia and our sense of duty direct us to unite and fight the real enemy - the global economic crisis?

Even as I dot the last sentence, I can hear the sighs from readers of this letter. I would like to put it in the best way I have learned from wise people of the past. With so much going on, it may be very difficult to find our correct responses.

Some of us are gasping for answers from the government, politicians, teachers, parents and friends. We may not even be unable to understand our predicaments at this stage (historians will do that). But we need to come to this common understanding - that we are all gifted in one way or another.

There is not a single person reading this letter who does not have at least one gift or talent. The thing we need to do is not so much to focus on the problems, but to look within ourselves and see how we can become the nation-builders in whatever way possible.

Participate in residents/citizens groups in your area and offer whatever time/talents/treasures you can. Collectively we can bring about real change. National unity is of paramount importance now.

Do what you can with what you have. And below I leave you with solemn parting words I learnt from a wise person: ‘For evil to succeed, it is enough the good do nothing’.

I hope you are not one of the ‘good’ who choose not to do anything but complain.