As a nation many of us find ourselves in a worse state of hopelessness and despair than we had been in the past.

I wrote this many, many months ago but held on from sending my opinion, in the hope that things would improve.

They have sadly worsened; as a nation we have continued to deteriorate. 

When we, civil society and many Malaysians, were fighting to rid ourselves of corrupt and dictatorial leaders and governments, we had hope – hope for a change in government that would do what was right and just and fair for all Malaysians.

But now, with that government seemingly in place, a government built on the word Hope (Harapan), we hardly see any meaningful reform or change.

We see the same political compromises that allow corruption to continue.

We continue to see institutional systems and legislation that deny basic human rights.

Civil society has had to fight even harder to prevent change that would worsen the state of the marginalised community in Malaysia. 

We had hoped that this government would institute critical reforms that would bring a measure of justice to our beloved nation.

We had hoped for a government that focused on humanity in their dealings with all the people who inhabit this land.

Many of us had hoped that children would have their feet placed on the path to a brighter future. 

All the current leadership seem to be interested in is maintaining their position and how to win the next election at any cost; even if it means a compromise of many moral principles.

They appear to have morphed back into the previous governments that they were elected to replace.

All too often elected representatives we hoped in, behave like lords rather than serving the community.

They can no longer receive criticisms and seem to think that only their opinions are right. They appear to have forgotten the needs of the people whom they were elected to serve.

We do not need politicians who speak loudly about a problem in some far away country.

Yes, we should speak up about injustice in any nation. But first please fix your own house, our beloved nation, where we have blatant injustice.

We have systems that neglect and victimise children; we have a stateless problem that is ignored with children victimised and traumatised.

It is time to stop such repressive behaviour in Malaysia.

Our health services are dying, our social services very weak, our education services in shambles.

The civil service needs a major reform. 

In reality, we have lost hope and many are in a state of despair.

We have lost hope in the government bringing the change we had all worked together for. This loss of hope is worse than when we were struggling against corrupt and dictatorial governments of the past.

Now the ones we had put our hope in have failed and demoralised us. 

There are some good politicians who are down to earth and do good work for the people; sadly, they are few in number.

The vast majority of leaders, we had hoped in, have become silent and in doing so become complicit in the actions of the whole. 

Dear leaders whom we help elect to bring meaningful change to our nation, your silence is deafening and indefensible.

I wonder if you ever reflect on how outspoken you were for important issues and meaningful change in the past?

You spoke up against corruption and corrupt practices. You spoke up for children and women, those who were disabled, poor, marginalised and victimized. You spoke up for those who were stateless and in detention. Now you are silent or give lame excuses to try and explain away your compromised principles.

You are no longer the people we voted for but have become tainted by power and the comfort of your position.

Where then do we find hope for Malaysia? 

We find hope in the average Malaysian, especially the poor. They are not greedy but willing to help others.

We find hope in some of our youth who can see clearly our nation’s peril and try to make a difference.

We find hope in many civil society organisations that support marginalised communities, despite the adverse conditions they find themselves in.

We find hope in the Eternal and the Divine that is not mocked or fooled by the semblance or façade that the government puts up. 

If you, Members of Parliament and State Legislative Assembly Members want to continue to be our elected representatives, then please represent all the people.

Drop your ‘Yang Berhormat’ label; as some previous members of parliament said, YB should stand for “Yang Berhidmat’.

Remember you are not a lord but a person elected by the people to serve them. So be humble and focus on the pressing issues facing the people.

Spend time with the poorest of the poor in your constituency – not with an entourage, not with reporters, not with videos/images recorded. Just sit and listen with an open heart to the concerns and see how you can bring help to them.

Be accessible often to the people in your community – directly accessible, not through your representatives.

And listen to us, not talk. Stop all the petty distractions that fill our media, and focus and speak up on the big issues and injustice that is plaguing the country – poverty, economic concerns, disharmony, disability accessibility, children’s rights and protection, etc. 

We look to the Divine to bring back our hope, to lift us from this despair and to help us find courage to work again to build our nation.

We look to the people of Malaysia that desire a better nation for everyone. Time to find new leaders who will work for the people. 

(Dato’ Dr Amar-Singh HSS is Consultant Paediatrician and Child-Disability Activist.)