Let us have the stamina, perseverance and foresight not only to win a battle on May 9, 2018 but to win a war to build a New Malaysia for future generations

The 14th General Election of May 9, 2018 has rightly been described as a battle which was miraculously won by Malaysians who had the patriotism, fortitude and passion for justice, freedom, integrity and unity but we have only won a battle and not a war.

Let us have the stamina, perseverance and foresight not only to win a battle on May 9, 2018 but to win the war to build a New Malaysia for future generations of Malaysians.

There are Malaysians who fear that we have won a battle but lost the war as the enemies of a New Malaysia have not been silent or inactive in the past nine months, but seemed to have gathered strength and made new inroads by resorting to the toxic and vicious politics of lies, hate, fear, race and religion to incite imaginary and primordial fears and doomsday scenarios.

As a result, Malaysia has never been more racially and religiously polarised as if the Malay race and the Muslim religion are facing unprecedented threats of extinction which is never farther from the truth.

I believe, however, that the war has not been lost although we must be nimble and agile to adapt to the new battleground to win the hearts and minds of the people - from television and earlier forms of media to social media whether Facebook, Twitter, Instagram and, most important of all, WhatsApp.

Just as we must dare to dream Big Dreams, we must have a positive and optimistic attitude about Malaysia’s future, to believe that the overwhelming majority of Malaysians regardless of race or religion will support a New Malaysia of unity, justice, freedom, integrity and excellence, grounded on these very same values and truth, while the enemies of a New Malaysia have placed themselves on the wrong side of history by resorting to the toxic and vicious politics of lies, hate, fear, race and religion which must face a diminishing market over a period of time.

Let us therefore persevere and have the stamina and commitment for the struggle to build a New Malaysia where no race or religion will feel threatened as we will leverage on the assets and best qualities of the diverse races, religions, languages and cultures which meet in confluence in Malaysia to build a world top-class nation which can earn the international respect for our achievements in the different fields of human endeavour.

Happy Chinese New Year.