I’VE been witnessing the emergence and rapid rise of young blood in the corridors of power in Putrajaya as well as in the Sabah cabinet. It’s truly encouraging. I’ve paid close attention to what they have to expound on during their press conferences and in cabinet sittings. These young blood are promising to pull Malaysia out of its political cycle previously plagued by a warlord culture and “cash is king” mindset. 

On personal demeanours, these young blood appear humble, committed, sincere and purposeful. Among them are the likes of Youth and Sports Minister Syed Saddiq Syed Abdul Rahman, Energy, Green Technology, Science and Climate Change Minister Yeo Bee Yin, Education Minister Maszlee Malik, Primary Industries Minister Teresa Kok and Deputy Women, Community and Family Development Minister Hannah Yeoh. 

What a stark contrast to the old regime. Thus far, I’m impressed. I hope they are here to stay to hugely influence the hearts and minds of all Malaysians, especially the younger generation. But be warned. There are always people in society waiting for them to fail; those who are ever eager to pounce and make a meal of them. Their nemesis are forever lurking around the corner.

Fresh from weeks of intense and bruising campaigning for the historic 14th general election, these young blood were ironically picked by our present 93-year-old Prime Minister Dr Mahathir Mohamad. Has he got something against aged persons?

To the media, these Putrajaya young blood are now public figures. This gives the media the assumed right to appease their hungry appetites. The public now has the right to ask them questions pertaining to not only their future political policies and decisions, but also their private love and social lives, as well as family matters. Faced with oft-gruelling media interviews, our young blood in the corridors of power have suddenly found themselves in sticky situations. There is no time for frivolousness or flippancy, like how they used to behave as opposition members. 

I’m not sure if any of them has been in a situation so intimate and yet, at the same time, so public. It would be difficult to self-censor the personal and the public. It wouldn’t be as straightforward and obvious anymore. After all, the media is known to ask questions in a hundred different ways to get that one answer it wants to extract. 

There’s no point pretending it won’t be hard. But these young leaders must show their keenness to carry out their jobs in earnest and to the best of their ability. They must keep insisting there will be no compromise in dealing with corruption, abuse of power, racism, nepotism and the flouting of the rule of law, long perpetuated in the previous Barisan Nasional era. The people have asked for change and indeed, change with all its positive ramifications must be delivered. It’s all in their hands because they asked to be given that arduous responsibility.

There’s no doubt in my mind that these gutsy young leaders will strive to deliver what the new Pakatan Harapan government vouched for for the rakyat. They are well aware of the guiding lights they have now become for the young men and women throughout our nation. But hard as they try, a sector of society will be watching and waiting for them to fail.

In 100 days, the PH government is expected to showcase its reformation agenda in its manifesto. On the face of it, this seems a preposterous thing to wish for. Why would one expect a newly minted government to adequately clean up the mess left by the previous BN government of 60 years? But those in the opposition would still say a promise is a promise. Making promises you don’t intend to keep to win an election will stink of utter hypocrisy. Knowing how hard these 100 days are going to be for the PH government to prove their mettle, I’m just going to sit back, fold my arms and wish them anything but plain sailing.

Back to our young leaders at Putrajaya. I wonder if they are ready for the mother of all judgments ahead of them. Every time you appear in public, your attire, words, gestures and moods will travel with you. That’s life as a politician. You have no other choice but to be constantly judged by the very people who put you in charge. You will feel different. Physically and emotionally, you’ll feel drained. Resilience and belief in oneself are crucial here. After years in a public-facing job, you will get used to fronting criticism of your work. Soon enough, those judgments and criticism will be like water off the proverbial duck’s back. The Malays would just say, “Ibarat air di daun keladi”. 

At times, social media can be so uplifting as to take you to high heaven and at other times, can be so excruciatingly cruel as to crush you down in an instance, leaving you squealing like an abused infant. My suggestion is to have faith in your abilities and abstain from reading the comments section of online news or Facebook posts. This is especially important to abide by because criticism aimed at your sincere efforts of doing good always cut the deepest.  

The newbies usually get the worst of it. An outpouring of criticism and hate is expected from the current opposition stalwarts. They are loathe to cut you guys a break, even though they have done worse things in the past when in power. I’d like to offer some humble advice to every one of you, the trusted new blood of Putrajaya: look at those wall-to-wall expletives on the social media as nothing more than our near-extinct Sumatran Rhino emitting a long stream of excrement in utter desperation.

In conclusion, let us summarise with the following. It’s not the 100 days that matter, it’s the positive and lasting changes the new PH government seeks to bring about before us. It’s all about the euphoria, achievement, approval, support and hope that accompany this change. If the PH government can do a great job at these things, its nothing but good news for Malaysia. These are what the haters hate. These are what hurt them most. All I can say to these pathetic guys is “poor things”.

* Professor Dr Ghazally Ismail is a retired vice-chancellor and academic. 

* This is the opinion of the writer or publication and does not necessarily represent the views of The Malaysian Insight. Article may be edited for brevity and clarity.