As I celebrated Christmas and reflected on 2008, I can’t help but be drawn to the renewed hope and change for our nation, when the three major opposition parties comprising of PKR, DAP and PAS won 82 of the 222 parliamentary seats that were at stake during the March 8 general elections.

This was a major breakthrough considering the odds stacked against the opposition parties where the three Ms of money, media and machinery of the Barisan Nasional (BN) were at full strength, thinking that the chosen date of March 8 would bring them prosperity though it turned out to be an electoral disaster as they lost five states to Pakatan Rakyat.

Why it was considered a renewed hope and change for Malaysia was not because BN lost five states but it was because Malaysians woke up to the reality of greater democracy, transparency, public accountability and social justice (over and above the race-based politics of BN).

This is a giant step after 51 years of solid BN rule, where we can finally put to rest the ghost and trauma of May 13, 1969, which has often been abused by the ruling coalition as a scare tactic before every general election.

The year 2008 was indeed a celebration of hope and change. The denial of BN’s two-thirds majority was a blessing in disguise despite Anwar’s failed attempt to take over the federal government through crossovers.

However, the point was that the people have spoken loud and clear, that no one is indispensable, and that the leaders be reminded to serve the rakyat, especially the poor and marginalised, regardless of their race and status in society.

However, it is sad to note that 2008 had been hounded by the politics of the 3Rs of race, religion and repression. The first ‘R’ of racial politics has continued to rule the landscape with Umno championing the concept of Ketuanan Melayu, instead of Bangsa Malaysia, which has become alien to them.

The second ‘R’ is religion where Umno has continued to declare that Malaysia is an Islamic state and not a secular state with Islam as the official religion of the land. The protest at the Bar Council forum on conversion to Islam was a case in point, where discussion on the legal aspects of such conversions continues to be a heated and sensitivepoint without regard to rationality and maturity in the interest of nation-building and freedom of expression.

Umno leaders have chosen to stifle freedom of expression with regards to religious discourse by declaring that Malaysia is an Islamic state.

The third ‘R’ is for repressive laws such as the ISA, the OSA, the Police Act, the Printing Presses and Publications Act and the Sedition Act which have continued to suppress legitimate dissent. Such repressive laws have been abused by those in authority to selectively prosecute those considered to be a threat to BN’s interests, rather than in the interest of national security.

Malaysians must continue to strive for a change in 2009, with renewed hope and vigour, lest we become complacent with the results of March 8. Politicians from across the political divide should set aside their differences and work towards respect, reform and restoration in building a united Malaysia with a common vision of being a developed nation by 2020.

To achieve this end, our political leaders should respect the rule of law and the federal constitution in protecting the rights and freedoms of all Malaysians. The federal governemnt should also respect human rights and not discard them and hide behind repressive laws to save their political skin.

The government must work towards reforming the judiciary and advancing its agenda by the setting up of the independent Judicial Appointments Commission that will involve all stakeholders in the justice system, and not those with vested interests.

Real reform can only take place with an independent and impartial judiciary. This is the key organ of government, within which judges of integrity will protect the ordinary man on the street against the excesses of government. The courts are tasked with protecting the poor and the marginalised, even if it means incurring the wrath of the federal government.

There should be a restoration of the trust of all Malaysians in our political leaders. By restoring that trust, we can unite all Malaysians and rebuild the country based on the concept of Bangsa Malaysia.

For example, the use of draconian measures in detaining the Hindraf leaders under the ISA only invokes distrust in the minds of the Indian community towards the government of the day. This is because the ISA is itself an act of aggression against citizens who are unarmed, especially to a group which considers itself marginalised.

Should we not hear them out and resolve their grievances in the spirit of democracy and Bangsa Malaysia?

If we can take the above in the right spirit of true reform, with respect for human rights and restoration of justice for the poor and marginalised, then we can really dream of hope and change in removing the negative influences of the politics of the 3Rs that has been abused by the ruling BN to safeguard their vested interests at the expense of national unity.