A number of reporters have asked me if Anwar Ibrahim would be deemed a failure should the change of government fail to materialise on Sep 16. I advice them not to be too fixated with the date.

If we are too pre-occupied with the date, like the present BN federal government, we will lose sight of the true movement for change. This movement is not solely about Anwar's ambition to become the next prime minister of Malaysia.

This movement for change is about a crucial transition for the country which is at a crossroads. Existing forces will try to direct this nation back to the old tested road of communalism. This old tested path is one laid for the comfort of elite politicians who would continue to lead the country using the divide and rule method they know best.

Ahmad Ismail and his antics gave us the best, raw and unsophisticated example of such politics. For his own political expediency, Ahmad would beat his chest and claim to speak for his community. But would Ahmad sell off his nice car and share his accumulated wealth with the less fortunates in his community? Will Ahmad swap his comfortable home for a humble low-cost house in his effort to try to understand how tough life can be at the bottom?

If the answer is no, what can the Malay community expect out of Ahmad?

The movement for change is not about Anwar and his Sep 16 deadline. This movement is about a permanent change we must bring to the country and our social order. We can only talk about democracy, fairness and morality if this country recognises a place and the birth rights of all its citizens regardless of race and religion.

The politics of race is the lowest denominator of our humanity simply because it is too foolish to fight the will of heaven and random biological logic. I did not choose to be a Chinese Malaysian. Ahmad was not born a Malay by choice. In spirituality, you may call it is heaven's design. Scientifically, it is simply a random biological logic. But scientifically and spiritually, humans are all the same. The same blood runs through our veins.

But why is Ahmad fighting against the will of God and nature? Only a silly practice of racial politics can explain his action.

Hence, the movement for change is beyond just a date. If we have chosen Anwar and his colleagues as our agents of change, we should be wise enough not to put the whole burden on the shoulders of a few.

Is Anwar a failure if he fails to deliver a new government on Sep 16? No, if you are part of the movement. The successes tasted so far by the Anwar led-Pakatan Rakyat belongs to the people too. Without us, Anwar is nothing.

With or without a change of government come Sep 16, we are all winners. We are winners because we have chosen to face the challenges head on. This movement for change cannot be easily trivialised by a mere date. We will change Malaysia even if it takes a week, a month or years from now.

Anwar should also be constantly reminded that the movement for change comes with great responsibility. Great power comes with great responsibility.