As we bid farewell to 2017 and usher in 2018, we must hold on to our dreams for the sake of our children. We have a duty to give our children the hope for a Malaysian Dream of a great nation that belongs to 30 million Malaysians filled with freedom, justice, integrity, democracy and prosperity for all.
We can dream of a Malaysia which is not a kleptocracy free from corruption scandals such as 1MDB. We can dream of Malaysians free from paying GST or a country free from police custodial deaths. We can dream of a country that cherishes facts and truth, not fake news and lies. We can dream of a country that fights corruption, not use it as a political weapon to frame up and smear the reputation of political opponents. We can dream of a country that values excellence instead of pursuing a culture of mediocrity.
Why can we not dream of a country that protects instead of abusing our fundamental rights? Why can we not dream of a country that protects our environment, stop the logging of our permanent rainforests and respects the right and dignity of women to make their own decisions free from harassment and blame? Why can we not dream of a country that helps the rakyat instead of robbing them of their funds, rights, freedom, intelligence and even privacy? Why can we not dream of a government that promotes unity and mutual respect in our multi-racial society, instead of division and fear to the extent that extremist and racist calls of wanting a Muslim Malay only Cabinet is met with silence.
This Malaysian Dream is not a monopoly of any one generation, gender or ethnic group. We can be 93 years old and still want change for a better future for our children. This Malaysian Dream promises a future to all our children, not just the children of the few cronies and well-connected in power. Never ever let our children’s future be stolen as ours were stolen with the numerous financial and corruption scandals.
That is why we must never ever give up. HAPPY NEW YEAR 2018!
LIM GUAN ENG