FOR the longest time, I have been a big fan of Liverpool. For the longest time, Liverpool repaid my faith in it by winning trophy after trophy, the most recent being the European Champions League.
But there is a part of Liverpool that has sputtered to a stop: since 1989/90, it hasn’t won the Premier League title.
It has not been overshadowed by Everton, its perennial Merseyside Lesser Rival, but by the likes of Manchester United and now Manchester City.
Growing up on Big League Soccer, with a huge collection of Shoot! and Match magazines, I developed a love for football.
And I loved the likes of Soh Chin Aun, R. Arumugam, Mokhtar Dahari, Shukor Salleh, Santokh Singh, James Wong and Hassan Sani; not forgetting Zainal Abidin Hassan and his brother, Khalid Salleh.
But lately, doctors have found a reason for my constant breathlessness: arterial blockages, which have now necessitated an open heart quadruple bypass surgery.
As I prepare both for the surgery, and the possibility of meeting my Maker, I am encouraged by the song sung by legions of Liverpool fans, You Never Walk Alone.
Malaysia is new. At least in terms of how Pakatan Harapan wrested power from the hands of the alleged kleptocracy of Datuk Seri Najib Razak.
Regardless of what happens in the operating theatre or after, the Malaysia that I truly love — way more than Liverpool, to be frank — shall not be abandoned ever.
Teams of researchers at Emir Research will be at the fore, to ensure a regular flurry of analyses. Malaysia, after all, is as good as the amalgamation of three ideas: justice, transparency and accountability. To the degree we have all three, in constant motion and flow, Malaysia will always remain the Tiger of Asia.
Be that as it may, there is no full stop to excellence. Malcolm Gladwell, in The Tipping Point, affirmed that practice does make perfect.
When a cobbler or shoe-maker has been at it for more than 10,000 times, epiphany is bound to make him better and stronger. This is what the Japanese refer to as “kaizen”, the art of constant innovation, every living moment.
Like it or not, I have been writing non-stop since 2015, fighting a battle to save Malaysia. I even got arrested, interrogated and released on police bail under the previous regime simply for social media writings and engagements on fighting the then kleptomaniacs.
However, with a quadruple bypass open heart surgery to go through early next week, I feel the mind must also be stronger than the body. Without that inner courage, I won’t be strong enough to come back stronger too!
To be sure, I have done my part for Malaysia and hope to do more. Now I need and hope for all Malaysian prayers that I will go through it successfully and come back sturdier and firmer to continuously push for reforms, God-willing.
The aim is to achieve a better Malaysia without making any distinction between race, creed and colour.
This may be a sign-off, hopefully a temporary one. If not, I am more than convinced this nation will continue to rebuild itself, to regain what was lost. I enjoyed every minute of the time that I worked in saving Malaysia, even the hardest minutes.
I have made peace with many, if not with all. Never give up on this great nation of ours and treasure the diversity therein. Thank you, Malaysia.
The writer is president/CEO of EMIR Research, an independent think tank who believes in research-based outcome, without fear or favour