Selamat Pagi Malaysia...

I was in KL recently. Having been away for 13 years, catching up with old friends was heartening and most pleasant. Yes, we all have aged. The ravages of time have not been too kind to most of us, but time also has brought with it a sense of repose and a quiet acceptance that we must embrace that which we cannot change. And there was much that we old timers had to embrace.

The physical changes confronted me with the subtlety of a bull in a China shop. My friend tells me that we are now passing through Kampong Baru. Which part of Kampong Baru, I asked? Nothing familiar caught my eye. Nothing around me gave me any clue that I was in Kampong Baru.

The elevated highways and toll roads (making millions for their well-connected landlords) crisscrossing Kuala Lumpur were not there when I left KL a decade ago. The never-ending vista of high-rise buildings and towers that are now home to many Malaysians stretches as far as my eyes can see. All too overwhelming and sterile, without life. Just cement, steel, and mortars. I do not like what I see.

The Malay, Chinese, and Indian divide are still all there - only more pronounced now, Islam dominates, but here and there you see a church and a temple still defiantly there for all to see....and to stay!

What about the people? I would rather talk about the ties that bind you and me rather than talk about our differences. I have Chinese, Indian, and Malay friends and I have friends from Sabah and Sarawak. We are friends not because of politics, not because of business, nor are we fair-weather friends.

In the times that I now live in, and at seventy-five, friends are an indulgence, and time spent with friends is indeed precious. So I choose wisely. So should you!

Malaysia today is not Malaysia yesterday. I hesitate to say better, but I will say that it can be better. When I left, Pak Lah was prime minister. There was no reason to think that the next prime minister would not be from UMNO. Today there is no potential UMNO prime minister in sight and if UMNO is not careful, there might not be an UMNO in time to come.

I embrace what I cannot change, but not unconditionally. The older generation must be our nation's conscience to ensure some order and structure exists within our society to hold us all together. The young can go forward and multiply. All we can hope for is that they will do so with finesse, panache, and responsibility.

I have no wish to play a role in politics and/or government. If elections are fair and free - which they should be - then politics and government will be in the hands of those we elect - and surely we will not choose incompetent and corrupt politicians to lead us? I see a time, very soon, if not already here.... I see a time when the business of government will be left in the capable hands of politicians that we elected to Parliament. With this Unity Government under PMX, a start has been made towards that direction.

Let me go on with life. My life. So should you. This UG government has earned the right to govern, and they must now get on with the task of doing so with compassion and grace.