TODAY is Easter Sunday, a day filled with hope.
We rejoice because of the promise that God’s goodness and truth shall reign throughout the Earth.
The darkness is cast aside, finally. We shall live on. That’s part of Easter’s triumphant message.
But what is really the greatest message of this Christian festival, celebrating the resurrection of Jesus Christ.
Easter reminds us that in the risen Lord, we have an endless supply of power to love. That is what Easter is all about – that we have life and an ability to love.
Sarawakians had been to the polls on April 16. After a week of triumphant celebrations for the winners and soul-searching and regret for the losers, the joy and the nightmare should now belong to the past, and life has to go on.
It’s time to stop squabbling over the losses and trumpeting the victories.
Fulfilling promises
The government should now live up to its manifesto framed and committed to during the election. It’s time for the opposition to fulfil their promise of “change” to the people.
Of equal importance now is for the people, including the opposition, to cooperate with the government in ensuring good governance and transparency through constructive, rather than destructive, discourse.
Undeniably, some governments are hard to live with. There are policies we do not agree with and people who we think are incompetent or even untrustworthy and weak. There may be a hierarchy of self-serving officials who we do not like — and we call them cronies.
The rule of the game remains the same — “majority” wins. Remember, the electorate have given the government a two-thirds majority mandate, and we have to accept it, and support government in fulfilling its manifesto.
The most efficient government will not be able to perform if we elected them into office, and spent the next five years criticising them on whatever they wanted to implement and do. Sadly, this has become the political culture of our country in recent years.
Fitting gesture
But what’s more fitting on this Easter morning than for fellow Christians to turn the Bible for guidance on how they relate to the government in the common endeavour to ensure peace and harmony in our beloved the state.
Through sloth, the roof sinks. And through indolence the house leaks.
During the election campaign, a candidate pointed out that a blocked drains could not be cleared up just by pointing at it. It may have sounded a bit crude but this is actually the wisdom of The Searcher who in Ecclesiastes compares a nation to a house.
If you house is leaking, and you keep on complaining without taking real action to fix it, it will still leak. In no time, the roof sinks in and it can be disastrous.
Ponder further the analogy of the “blocked drain.” The inference is that politicians (including the elected YBs) should be industrious and conscientious in finding solutions to the problems that affect the people.
Coming into the picture is the “dredging councillor” who laboured for the past two years to clear the drains in his constituency. In fact, he had done so was even before he was elected, and though he lost in the polls, his efforts have not been in vain. He has laid a firm foundation for flood-free days for the people.
Likening a nation to a house, without the foundation of hard work, when the roof sinks in, the house leaks. Then the nation becomes insecure, and subjected to invasion from within and beyond its shores.
The Searcher goes on: “Even in your thoughts, do not curse the king nor in your bedchamber curse the rich for a bird of the air will carry your voice or some winged creature will tell on the matter.”
Today, we hear people cursing the government of the day more than ever.
Just two days ago, the government introduced a “1Malaysia email” for all. All of a sudden, the Internet was flooded with “No” to the RM50 million project. The government is being ridiculed no end over what is essentially a private sector initiative.
So, the many “boo-boos” hurled at the Searcher’s wisdom – even in your thoughts, do not curse the king – are not altogether unexpected.
This is not about getting punished if you complain about the government (king). The lesson here is that our constant complaining about all kinds of problems — some real some perceived — creates a condition that spreads dissatisfaction and distrust of the government. This can be dangerous!
The observation is that there are more hate messages and allegations than constructive suggestions to the 1Malaysia email project.
Surely, there are other means of conveying our disagreement to the government. Send an email to the Prime Minister. Send another to Pemandu. They are just a click away!
Come to think of it though, by disagreeing with the 1Malaysia e-mail project, we are actually showing that without it, we can still touch base with the government through other channels.
Act in love. Show courtesy, kindness, patience, and understanding. Whatever it takes, you can show it. That’s the essence of Easter.
“Let no debt remain outstanding except the continuing debt to love one another, for he who loves his fellow men has fulfilled the Law.”