The only constant in life is death. That makes everything else subject to change.

The wealthy man becomes poor overnight. The powerful is weakened. Happiness turns into sadness. The upright person falls into the temptation of corruption.

On the other hand, the destitute finds salvation. The accused is vindicated. Failure turns into success. And darkness dawns into a bright new day.

Yes. Change is the essence of life and the world we live in. And in politics, change is paramount to the survival and success of any nation.

So when we read articles about Anwar Ibrahim and his claim to have a large number of defectors in his camp and his Sept 16 deadline to form the new government has passed by, people begin to question the validity of his claim.

Does Anwar really have the required number of members of parliament for the crossover to happen? Is Malaysia going to be governed continuously by an embattled and visionless Barisan Nasional government?

Malaysians are an impatient lot. They are akin to patients who would consume all sorts of unhealthy food and dubious herbs, but refuse to take medication prescribed by a qualified doctor, citing side effects and severe reactions. They would rather listen to stories and fabled treatment introduced by their relatives and friends.

Indeed it is said that a good doctor is one who can convince the 'doctor' within the patient.

It is a fact that our country is on the downward slide in the fields of economy, education, environmental protection and politics itself. We need a good doctor – a leader who can steer our nation away from this storm of uncertainty and lead us towards progress and success.

Unfortunately good doctors do not come by that easily. The last ‘doctor’ – a real doctor that is – ruled for more than two decades and prescribed hundreds of unnecessary projects that mostly failed.

Our current prime minister, although not as flamboyant or aggressive, continues to drain our national coffers by allowing the country to run on auto-pilot.

But for the past five months since the last election, the sky has become a little bit brighter as the whole country opted for change. Amidst all this excitement, there appeared a leader who has gone through tremendous and often tumultuous changes in his life and career.

Anwar Ibrahim – student leader, politician, deputy prime minister, political prisoner, opposition leader – and now a potential prime minister-in-waiting. If anyone could understand the significance of change, it must be him.

It is obvious that the current leadership in BN do not know anything about change. To them a mere swapping of ministry portfolios between the prime minister and his deputy is already considered a great step.

Our country has been stagnant for so long that people have forgotten about the difficulties to effect a change. The slight delay in forming a new government is seen as proof of Anwar's defeat.

Let us not forget that he took only five months from the unexpected opposition victory in March 2008 to arrive at this stage, whereas the BN government is still somewhat stuck in their feudal ways for the past 50 years. That is a victory by itself.

If we have waited for half a century for change, I am sure we can afford to be patient and wait for a few more days or weeks.

After all Malaysia is not going anywhere unless there is a change in leadership.