A lot more experienced business leaders and commentators have expressed their hopes and apirations for 2009, and I can only humbly point to one which made a particular impression on me. 
Tony Fernandes, in his blog, outlined his hopes and aspirations in 9 points. Here are points 1-3 to which I couldn't agree more.
"1) I hope Malaysians will change forever and look at what they can do for the country, instead of relying on the nation to provide everything. We must be positive and see what we can do to make this country a better place. Sitting back and criticising and not changing will just not work anymore. And I do hope that when we speak, we present our views clearly, rationally and with sensitivity instead of doing so anonymously. So many of those who post their views on blogs, for instance, just criticise and do so anonymously. If there is something to be said, say it openly and be prepared to defend your views in open debate.
2) We as a community must demand more from our education system. If our national schools eradicate their deficiencies and all were more like Victoria Institution or St. John’s, for instance, Malaysians of all races will be lining up to send their kids to national schools. There would then be no need to waste time on pointless debates about vernacular schools and such. Get the national schools right, and we will be on our way. It’s about providing the people with palatable choices.
3) We have to improve the standard of English among our kids. If we are to be globally competitive, then you can't run away from the need for a high standard of English. That's not saying we should not also be fluent in our own mother tongues. How I wish I could speak other languages. Imagine if all our kids could fluently speak English, Malay, Mandarin and Tamil or Hindi! How powerful that would be! But we must be masters at English."
I can only humbly add, that in my short span of seeing folks come our studios to be interviewed, there are many bright and articulate Malaysians among us. I am actually amazed that we still do generate such quality of people inspite of our education system. Can you imagine if we had an education system that nurtures and harnesses such innate talents and diversity?
Tony's point 8 has special resonance for me in the context of BFM:
"8) I hope Malaysians will take a grip of their own lives and design their own destiny. Don't complain, don't wait for handouts, go out there and make a difference..."
Happy New Year!
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