LETTER | Harapan leaders, now that the people have given you the mandate to govern this beloved nation of ours, we are watching you very very closely to see if promises are kept.

Know that we are all excited to see this new dawn for Malaysia. Know that we have fought so long for this new beginning, which seemed so far out of our grasp that at times we thought we were fighting an unbeatable enemy.

We have had to overcome multiple obstacles  - a rigged voting system that undermines the “one man, one vote” concept, a mid-week election day that discourages turnout and blatant vote buying. Some Malaysians were even denied the opportunity to vote.

Yet, the people refused to give up. The people refused to be bullied.

Malaysians from the interiors of Sabah to the heartlands of Kedah to the towns of Johor showed up on May 9 in droves to declare that we would not be taken for granted anymore. That the power and the right to govern this country is not a birthright. It has to be earned.

We are cognisant of the hard work that lies ahead - the restoration of the integrity of institutions such as the judiciary, the police and the MACC, amongst others.

We want to see corruption end. We want to unshackle the media. We want politics out of our schools. We want the freedom to express our rights without oppressive laws to silence our voices.

Harapan, we, the people, are expecting you to fulfil the promises made in your manifesto.

Take a day to savour your victory. You deserve it. Then start working.

Prove to us that the Harapan pact is a true partnership and not a marriage of convenience. Roll up your sleeves and start rebuilding Malaysia. Don’t be tempted to abuse your new positions.

Know this, Malaysians have now found their voice and their power, and we now know how to use it.

I hope you will not disappoint us. Because if you do, well, see what happened to your opponents last night. They forgot the mighty roar of the people.

For Malaysia!

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