FOR weeks after the May 9 general election, it almost seemed like every other Malaysian with a Facebook account or internet connection was unearthing a different aspect of the old Malaysia that must be changed yesterday.

From pressing national-level issues, such as reducing youth unemployment and reaching the final resolution to Sabah and Sarawak’s fight for rights, to rather unrelated expectations, such as shorter queuing times at government agencies and less chaotic traffic jams, the first three months of the Pakatan Harapan government have been defined by the frenetic call for change.

The weight of expectations thrown onto the shoulders of our new leaders, most of whom never believed that they would one day be in a position to resolve the country’s woes, must be daunting.

There have been misses as much as hits with regard to the report card on PH’s first 100 days. And in response to the outcry over unfulfilled 100-day pledges, our new leaders have asked for more time.

The depths of destruction were far beyond anything they could have imagined, some said, while Prime Minister Dr Mahathir Mohamad reportedly admitted that the pact’s manifesto and promises were not quite as well thought out as we had hoped.

Over the weekend, Attorney-General Tommy Thomas joined in the chorus of appeal for patience, saying Malaysians must not expect too much, too soon from our new leaders.

The rot in the civil service and the massive reforms required in all three branches of government would be challenging to address within 10 years, much less 100 days, he said.

Unless you are one of the last remaining Umno-Barisan Nasional die-hard supporters, or you have been unrealistic about just how much damage was inflicted on our country’s institutions these last 60 years, the appeal for more time is clearly a reasonable one.

Apart from the inevitable resistance to change by certain quarters still within the government, it would be foolish to expect that a largely inexperienced, albeit highly qualified, cabinet would be able to undo wrongdoings and reset mindsets within a fraction of the time taken to corrupt the system.

However, our seeming impatience should not be brushed off by our new leaders as mere naiveté and baseless discontent.

The change on May 9 was not the result of a sudden or new desire to remove a corrupt government.

More than five million people who cast their votes for Pakatan Harapan in GE14 did not do so on a whim, or in blind support of Dr Mahathir.

Instead, GE14 was the culmination of years, even decades, of fighting against the gradual chipping away of our institutions’ integrity, and the blatant robbing of our resources.

For those in Sabah and Sarawak, GE14 was a rejection of decades of empty promises by BN, which had robbed generations of Malaysians of what is rightfully theirs.

For minority communities, the desire for an all-inclusive and just nation that Malaysia was always meant to be took form on May 9.

If you are one of the millions of Malaysians who had been waiting decades for change to happen, it is not difficult to understand the urgency and seeming haste with which the people are demanding for it today.

While it may appear unrealistic, our new leaders must recognise that they are today in power because we have simply waited too long for this change, and are tired of waiting.

History has taught us that even the most noble of intentions become unfulfilled promises when we stop exerting pressure on our leaders, and start assuming that they will always have the nation’s best interest at heart.

By all means, we should give our leaders a realistic time frame to tackle the gargantuan task ahead, but we will be doing them and our nation a great disservice if we stop pushing them to make good on their pledges.

Because with enough time, complacency and arrogance, “too much, too soon” will soon lead us to a situation where it is “too little, too late”. – August 27, 2018.

* Julia Yeow has been in journalism for two decades and counts it as her first love, despite enjoying brief stints as a lecturer, clown and salad maker. She is a strong believer in social justice, and holds that there is sometimes more truth in the greys, than the blacks and whites.