LETTER | A favourite phrase of mine is 'Hope springs eternal'. As an SPM student in my youth some 40 years past, English Literature was a subject and the
novel 'Things Fall Apart' by Chinua Achebe was compulsory reading. The prologue contained part of this poem by Yeats:

'Turning and turning in the widening gyre,
the falcon cannot hear the falconer;
things fall apart the centre cannot hold,
mere anarchy is loosed upon the world'.

The novel and the poem have been ingrained in my mind, and with the
personal experiences through the passing years as a second-generation 'immigrant' non-bumiputra citizen of this blessed country, this has fomented and burned itself into my psyche and soul such that I cannot
read the poem without feeling strong emotions.

The events over the last few years in Malaysia particularly in the Najib era and culminating in the results of our 14th general election of May 9 and the swearing in of our new/old PM has triggered something new in me.

Where 'hope springs eternal' was almost lost to me being covered by an imaginery slowly descending black shroud, and where I was convinced that my son as a third-generation citizen here had no hope of a life without discrimination and in time to come, religion-based persecution, a new light has appeared on based persecution, a new light has appeared on the horizon.

The pulling together of disparate political parties with diametrically opposed personalities and ideals, the selfless sacrifices made, the dogged determination and stamina shown to keep the coalition intact; this and more have been nothing short of an inspiration and a much-needed injection of renewed hope for some like me who had grown weary, frustrated, cynical and almost devoid of hope for a reversal of the dark tides that were engulfing us.

From the joy and hope of change wrought by the results of GE12 in 2008 where some states fell to the opposition; then the disappointment and vexation of GE13 in 2013 where the popular vote was for the opposition yet the results went in the opposite direction; could anyone of us ever forget the events and incidents of the last two days of GE14 where unbridled joy of finally a win by the opposition was tempered and perhaps marred by some obstacles and hindrances in the election process to formally declare the winner to be so and empower the new government in theshortest possible time?

Drama and intrigue that was unnecessary, although it has probably acted as a catalyst to indelibly etch the historic events of GE14 in the minds of every Malaysian.

Well, here we are; so what do we do now, where do we go from here? To say that the weight of expectation for the new government is high would be a gross understatement. Manifestos and intentions are all very well, but execution is everything.

The devil is in the details, and the devils must be detained. Up to the recent past, an often used phrase by some unsavoury politicians as a threat, and sometimes by certain members of the police force who were charged to follow through on these threats was “cari sampai lubuk cacing”. Well, I say, let us do it! Bring the corrupt to court in the shortest possible time and as a matter of urgency.

Leave no stone unturned in bringing the guilty to bear. Salem-like witch hunts are unnecessary, unproductive and a near impossible task where
corruption is extremely deep-rooted and almost a culture. The only way forward is to bring the guilty leaders to court and prosecute them to the full
extent of the law. Amnesty for some lower down the chain may be unavoidable, but a necessary evil. Remove them from their compromised positions.

Forgive but never forget. Lead by example (Dr Mahathir Mohamad's 'Kepimpinan Melalui Tauladan' springs to mind) and show iron political will to bring corruption to its knees. The rotten fish head analogy has happened in Malaysia, and excising gangrenous parts of the body are not an option. Throw the rotting fish away and nurture a new generation where the heads are rot-proof.

Without compromise, institutionalised corruption and compromised institutions must go. It can be achieved and perpetuated with the continuous injection of principled new young continuous injection of principled new young blood into the higher echelons of government, civil service, armed forces and so on.

I may not represent the majority, I may not even represent the few, but my personal expectation is that the new government must press the reset button. Many voters, especially the younger ones if the thousands of comments I have read over the years and months are any indicator, wish for a new paradigm in governance. The scourge of corruption has been the bane of our nation, the negative results of which are too many to go into here.

Race, religion and other divisive bases of governance are never the hallmarks of a progressive and successful nation anywhere in the world. Young or old, whatever our political orientation or economic situation; we voted Pakatan Harapan because of disgust for the BN kleptocratic administration. But above all, we voted Harapan in the hope of a better tomorrow. Do not dash that fragile hope, act now, the clock is ticking.

And as always, hope springs eternal.

The views expressed here are those of the author/contributor and do not necessarily represent the views of Malaysiakini.