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Malaysians, trust our reformists – Zaid Ibrahim

March 01, 2016

My friend Aspan blogged recently about how Malaysians must mark the gathering of 27 March as a momentous event, one where we can all unite to restore the country to good order.

I hope many people will be as positive as Aspan about the event. We want unity, where people from all walks of life, are willing to come together, and declare that the Rakyat no longer want corrupt leaders, and the Rakyat want an honest government.

Dr Dzulkefly Ahmad of Amanah had rightly said that whatever change we want to see in the country, we must start with Najib stepping down, or he being defeated at the polls or in Parliament. We must start moving along that line. Of course that alone is not enough, and we must work together to reform the public institutions so that there can be no more abuse in the future. We can discuss the details later, but for now let’s be together to reject Datuk Seri Najib Razak’s leadership.

For us to succeed the lack of trust amongst the “reformists” must be addressed. We must not be so haughty and condescending towards those who (we think) were once not reformists or progressives like us. Sometimes leaders become “reformists” after they get the sack from their political grouping or they spend time in jail. This does not in any way diminish their reformist zeal or make them any less desirable or genuine in their quest for reform.

The world in which they lived in before did not open their hearts to reform. Sometimes in life it takes a drastic turn of events to make them realise the value of democracy and the rule of law.

Leaders like Lee Kuan Yew and Tun Dr Mahathir Mohamad became involved in politics during a very different era. They had to deal with abject poverty, foreign occupation, war, communist insurgency and the dark days of colonial rule. They had to deal with issues of life and death. As such, they had to prioritise and if they prioritised issues of economic survival and racial unity over democracy, let us not be too harsh on them.

The question is simple: do you believe Tun Dr Mahathir, Tan Sri Muhyiddin Yassin, Lim Kit Siang, Azmin Ali, Mat Sabu, Datuk Ambiga Sreenevasan, Tuan Ibrahim (not to mention many young Malaysians) are sincere in wanting to save the country from those who rape and plunder our wealth?  

Do you not think they want to protect and defend the honour and integrity of the country, which have already been so compromised? Do you not think that Najib is the source of the problem?

If the answer is yes, then we have to start from scratch, be brave and assemble on March 27 as rakyat (citizens) so we can tell other Malaysians that the time has come to declare that the future of the country is in our hands. We will not abandon Malaysia.

The rakyat must turn up and declare what kind of leaders they want and what type they will reject. They must declare what they will do and what they will sacrifice for the country. The rakyat must promise to be united to make Malaysia great.

We must not waste time dabbling in the past. Let bygones be bygones. Let’s start a new tomorrow for the country. We must be united, and that unity can only happen if we learn to trust one another absolutely.

In a few days I will be able to tell you the venue, and the list of those speakers invited to speak at this august event. I am sure the venue is large enough to accommodate the growing list of rakyat who want to attend. – zaid.my, March 1, 2016.

* Datuk Zaid Ibrahim is a lawyer turned politician and a former minister in the Prime Minister's Department in charge of legal affairs and judicial reform.

* This is the personal opinion of the writer or publication and does not necessarily represent the views of The Malaysian Insider.