We are Malaysians who count ourselves as being part of the Silent Majority. We do not, of course, claim to represent any part of the majority, we write this letter simply because we have finally found our voice.
The calls for Pak Lah to step down in the wake of the dismal performance of the BN in the recent elections are understandable. This is the nature of politics. It is business as usual for certain quarters within the political arena to demand that a head, other than their own, roll, to pay for what is seen as the BN’s worst showing yet.
But the political landscape of Malaysia has changed so completely, that ‘business as usual’ no longer has space in this new Malaysia. After 50 years of independence, the Malaysian people have finally come into their own.Notwithstanding the election tsunami and the loss of the magical 2/3rds majority that the BN seems to expect as a matter of course, there were no riots, no bloodshed, no ill-feeling between the races, no ‘Operation Lallang’, no harsh threats, no imprisonments. For Malaysians, it was really ‘business unusual’.
In fact, for the first time in years, many Malaysians, like us, feel empowered and proud that we exercised our right to determine our own fate. That power rightly rests in the hands of each Malaysian and not just an elite and privileged few.
How did Malaysia arrive at this unexpected but progressive juncture?
Some would say that Malaysians were driven to this point by their frustration that Pak Lah has failed to deliver what he promised. We note that Pak Lah has only been at the helm of BN and the country for four years. Many of the problems and challenges that Malaysia faces today did not crop up overnight. Much has been inherited – both good and bad.
For all of Pak Lah’s alleged failings, he has delivered something quite significant for all Malaysians. He has shown a greater tolerance for dissent and public debate. Malaysians were given a fair and free election. And by virtue of that, Pak Lah has empowered each and every Malaysian. And to that end, political analysts credit Pak Lah for his dignified acceptance of the democratic voice of the people.
We agree with Pak Lah’s detractors that he needs to take responsibility but unlike them, we feel that he needs to show that responsibility in a different way – by continuing to be the prime minister of this country.
In Pak Lah, we see a leader who understands democracy. We see a man of integrity who does not shirk from his responsibilities but instead has chosen to forge a path forward with the democratic voice of the Malaysian people as his guide.
We think his spirit is best captured by this quote: ‘Very few people really care about freedom, about liberty, about the truth, very few. Very few people have guts, the kind of guts on which real democracy has to depend. Without people with that sort of guts, a free society dies or cannot be born’. - Doris Lessing, Nobel Prize recipient for Literature, 2007
We are asking for Pak Lah, to stay and deliver. And we are humbly asking all Malaysians to give this man their support.
