By Mohamed Ghouse Nasaruddin
2016 has been a year of convoluted incidents that impacted the lives of the people.
It was a year of economic and political upheaval; a year of strange bedfellows in consort.
It was also a year in which self-appointed vigilantes reigned supreme and undertook their tasks with impunity. It was also a time when the scales of justice tipped unevenly, almost precariously.
While the destitute struggled to survive, the elitist echelon regaled in a life of cornucopia.
It was also a year when unbridled utterances were chastised with incarceration. Attempts to exercise the right to freedom of expression through a congregation of physical presence or artistic expressions met with the full brunt of the powers that be.
Truths and untruths were malleable to serve prevailing circumstances and were lost in the maze of the catacombs trampled and buried by the avarice of vested interests. There was no moral stigma in the quest for truths and untruths, only expediency.
This was also a year of malfeasance that caused financial haemorrhaging and misdemeanour as well as economic uncertainty.
As a result, the ringgit succumbed to internal and external pressures, caused by perception of uncertainty and volatility.
It descended into the labyrinthine depths drastically, reducing its purchasing power.
The air in 2016 was politically charged and saturated with animosity, misinformation, mistrust, slander and hypocrisy.
There were trust deficits everywhere so much so that we have lost our bearings, hopes and aspirations.
We are in a quandary as to the veracity of the happenings as the official signage was askance and in conflict with the reality on the ground.
But we survived 2016 despite the calisthenics, gyrations and upheaval in governance.
Hopefully, 2017 will be a different year; a year of hope for better times that would put the nation on an even keel and to redress the emotional, physical and ethical imbalance.
Let us not despair despite the unfavourable prognosis for our economy and political atmosphere in 2017 to the extent of developing paranoia.
Let us carefully examine the choices we have in determining the future of the nation that encapsulates the destiny of our children and future generations.
What can the people do to ensure a governance of integrity to better manage the affairs of this nation for greater achievements?
Besides the hope for good people to move the nation, we also seek the intervention of providence to guide us.
Oh God, please deliver us from the satanic deception that clouds our vision and thoughts. Please guide our leaders in their quest for ethical and just governance, based on the principles of integrity, honesty and morality.
Oh God, give our leaders the fortitude to right wrongs and to ensure justice. If they veer from the straight and correct path, it is because they are only humans, imbued with both strengths and weaknesses.
Forgive and direct them to the correct path so that they could deliver their sacred duty of serving God and the people.
Oh God, please deliver us from the deceptions that have plagued our lives and guide this beloved nation through 2017 to become a peaceful and prosperous nation that provides for the comfort of its people. Amen!
* Mohamed Ghouse Nasuruddin is a keen observer on governance and an FMT reader.
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