OPEN LETTER TO PARTY LEADERS

 

OPEN LETTER TO PARTY LEADERS

1. Abang Abdul Rahman Zohari Abang Openg (PBB)
2. Abdul Hadi Awang (PAS)
3. Affendi Jeman (SEDAR)
4. Ahmad Jufliz Faizal (PRM)
5. Ahmad Zahid Hamidi (UMNO)
6. Amira Aisya Abd Aziz (MUDA)
7. Anifah Aman (PCS)
8. Anthony Loke Siew Fook (DAP)
9. Anwar Ibrahim (PKR)
10. Arthur Joseph Kurup (PBRS)
11. Bobby William (PBDS)
12. Chin Su Phin (LDP)
13. Dominic Lau Hoe Chai (GERAKAN)
14. Ewon Benedick (UPKO)
15. Hajiji Noor (GAGASAN)
16. Hamzah Zainudin (WAWASAN)
17. Ibrahim Ali (PUTRA)
18. Jeffrey Kitingan (STAR)
19. Jeyakumar Devaraj (PSM)
20. Joachim Gunsalam (PBS)
21. John Sikie Tayai (PRS)
22. Larry Sng Wei Shien (PBM)
23. Liew Yun Fah (PHRS)
24. Lina Soo (ASPIRASI)
25. Mohamad Sabu (AMANAH)
26. Mohd Shafie Apdal (WARISAN)
27. Mukhriz Mahathir (PEJUANG)
28. Muhyiddin Yassin (BERSATU)
29. P. Waytha Moorthy (MAP)
30. Pandikar Amin Mulia (USNO)
31. Priscella Peter (KDM)
32. Punithan Paramsiven (MIPP)
33. Rafizi Ramli (BERSAMA)*
34. Rashid Ka' (ASLI)
35. R. S. Thanenthiran (MAKKAL SAKTI)
36. S. A. Vigneswaran (MIC)
37. Sim Kui Hian (SUPP)
38. Tiong King Sing (PDP)
39. Wee Ka Siong (MCA)
40. Yong Teck Lee (SAPP)
41. Zamani Ibrahim (BERJASA)

Dear Political Party Leaders,

Peace be with you,

Re: WHY MAKE VISION 2057 – MALAYSIA 100 PART OF YOUR GE16 MANIFESTO

Malaysia will turn 100 in 2057.

As we begin thinking about the Malaysia we want to become over the next 30 years, I believe one principle should guide us from the very beginning: we should involve as many Malaysians as possible in shaping Vision 2057 - Malaysia 100.

This should not be a vision created by a small group of people and then presented to the rest of the country. We should democratise the process. And may the best ideas win!

We should hear from Malays, Chinese, Indians, and the many other communities that make up Malaysia. We should hear from the majority as well as our smallest minorities - including, for example, a Kelabit living in Bario whose experience of Malaysia may be different from someone living in Kuala Lumpur. We should hear from Peninsular Malaysia, Sabah and Sarawak, and from our cities, towns, semi-rural communities and kampungs.

We should hear from Muslims, Buddhists, Christians, Hindus, Sikhs and people of other faiths and traditions. We should hear from different generations - from those who lived through the early decades of Malaysia to young Malaysians who may themselves be senior citizens when Malaysia celebrates its 100th year.

We should hear from businesspeople and workers, teachers and students, academics and professionals, farmers and fishermen, entrepreneurs and civil society. We should also hear from Malaysians whose voices may not always be sufficiently heard, including persons with disabilities. What does Malaysia in 2057 look like to someone who is blind? To someone with limited mobility? What kind of country would they like us to build?

And we should hear from Malaysians with different expertise, experiences and ways of looking at the world. Why? Because no single person, organisation, profession, community or political party has all the answers. This is a project too big to leave to the few.

The more Malaysians we bring into the conversation, the larger the pool of ideas we create. Some ideas will be challenged. Some will not survive serious debate. Others will become stronger because they are challenged. Occasionally, an idea may emerge from somewhere completely unexpected and change the way we think about Malaysia's future.

That is what we should want. We should create the widest possible Malaysian conversation, allow ideas to compete and develop, and draw from it the best and deepest thinking we can find about the Malaysia we want to create by 2057. Vision 2057 should therefore not belong to anyone. It should belong to everyone.

AN INVITATION TO OUR POLITICAL PARTIES

Why start with the political parties?

GE16 is coming and within this larger Malaysian conversation, there is one group I would specifically like to invite through this letter - our political parties and political leaders.

Political parties form a particularly important group of Malaysians. You play a major role in shaping not only our governments and public policies, but also the dynamics, rhythm and culture of our country. You organise Malaysians around ideas, identify issues, develop policies and manifestos, debate what Malaysia should become, and select and develop people who may eventually govern the country.

And importantly, you seek the mandate of Malaysians to lead.

With GE16 approaching, therefore, this is an appropriate time to respectfully invite every political party to participate actively in the Vision 2057 conversation. More specifically, may I invite you to make Vision 2057 - Malaysia 100 part of your GE16 manifesto and part of the national discussion leading up to the election.

Every election manifesto understandably tells Malaysians what a political party intends to do over the next five years. But perhaps GE16 should ask something more.

GE16 will elect a government that will govern during the opening years of our journey towards Malaysia's 100th year. Whoever forms that government cannot determine what Malaysia will be in 2057. There will be many governments, prime ministers and elections between now and then. But the government formed after GE16 can help lay the right foundation.

So perhaps every political party preparing for GE16 should answer a larger question:

What foundations will you put in place during your first five years so that Malaysia has the best possible chance of becoming a great nation by 2057?

THREE KEY QUESTIONS

• Where are we now? Requires honesty. What have we done well over nearly seven decades? What should we preserve, strengthen, or abandon? Where have we fallen short?
• Where do we want to be in 2057? Requires imagination. What kind of Malaysia do we want our children and grandchildren to inherit at our centenary?
• What must we do to get there? Requires action. What must we start or stop doing? What foundations should we build today whose full benefits will only appear decades from now?

USING PESTEL TO START THE CONVERSATION

To structure this toward 2057, we can use PESTEL:

• P – POLITICAL: How do we create a political ecosystem where capable, trustworthy, and effective leadership has the opportunity to rise?
• E – ECONOMIC: How do we build an economic model where prosperity is broadly shared, the rich-poor gap does not grow too wide, and success does not depend on corruption, connections, or patronage?
• S – SOCIAL: How do we develop an education and social system enabling social mobility for the poorest, while building a society anchored in the Federal Constitution where all ethnic, religious, and cultural identities feel equally seen, valued, and appreciated?
• T – TECHNOLOGICAL: How do we become a technologically advanced nation that creates and innovates, while ensuring technology serves humanity, protects dignity, and strengthens human connection?
• E – ENVIRONMENTAL: How do we modernise while wisely balancing development with nature, fostering an environment of peace, safety, and tranquillity where Malaysians can flourish?
• L – LEGAL: How do we ensure that the rule of law remains above those in power and provides certainty and protection for everyone, while being brave enough to examine whether the legal and institutional arrangements we inherited and built since 1957 remain suitable for Malaysia in 2057, and what we may need to preserve, change, abandon or create anew?

LET US START THE CONVERSATION

As you prepare for GE16, please make Vision 2057 part of your manifesto.

Tell Malaysians where our country is today, what future you envision for our centenary, and what your party proposes to do over the next five years to move us there.

Equally, listen beyond your traditional supporters. Listen across regions, races, religions, and generations - because a good idea is never diminished by who shares it. Please help kick-start a grand national conversation on how we shape our country as Malaysia moves toward MALAYSIA100.

Thank you and Peace,

Anas Zubedy

Kuala Lumpur

29th September, 2026