History was made in Malaysia on May 9, 2018, and the world sat up amazed when Malaysians took the first important step to become a normal democratic country, where the people could peacefully and democratically change government without violence, chaos or catastrophe.

It is to the eternal credit of Malaysians, that we are capable of giving the nation a second chance to rebuild a new Malaysia.

Sixty-one years ago, when the country attained Merdeka in 1957, and 55 years ago when Malaysia was formed in 1963, we set out as a young nation, brimming with hope and confidence, dedicated, in the words of the Merdeka Proclamation 1957 and reaffirmed in the Malaysia Proclamation six year later, that the nation “shall be for ever a sovereign democratic and independent State founded upon the principles of liberty and justice and ever seeking the welfare and happiness of its people and the maintenance of a just peace among all nations”.

We promised to ourselves that the nation will be “a beacon of light for a disturbed and distracted world”.

But we lost our way and became instead a black hole of kleptocracy and kakistocracy.

From a country highly respected and esteemed in the international community of nations, we became a country which was scorned and look askance because of our kleptocracy, kakistocrcy and rogue democracy.

Now Malaysians have saved Malaysia and given ourselves a second chance to re-set nation-building policies and directions to fulfill the Malaysian Dream to be a model to the world as to how a nation of diverse races, religions, languages and cultures could be united, harmonious, democratic, progressive and prosperous, with a government of integrity guided by the principles of good governance and accountability.

The four Pakatan Harapan component parties are Malaysian patriotic parties, which are not anti-Malay, anti-Chinese, anti-Indian, anti-Kadazan or anti-Iban nor not anti-Islam, anti-Buddhism, anti-Christianity, anti-Hinduism or anti-Sikhism as we are all pro-Malaysia and pro-Malaysians always conscious of the fact that Malaysia is plural nation of diverse races, religions, cultures and languages.

One great challenge of the new Pakatan Harapan government in Putrajaya is to fufill the hopes of Malaysia that we have arrived at a juncture where all Malaysians regard themselves as Malaysians first and their race, religion, region or soci-economic status second.

This the time to bring the people, regardless of race, region, region or political opinion, closer as Malaysians and not to polarise them further.

Pakatan Harapan Government at Federal and State levels must look after the interests of all Malaysians, including those who have not voted for PH, to demonstrate that the Pakatan Harapan is a govenrment of all Malaysians, regardless of race, religion, region or political opinion.

(Speech at the Pakatan Harapan Ceramah Mega at Penang Esplanade on Monday, May 14, 2018 at 9 pm)