I was given the chance to speak at a DAP dinner in Triang, Pahang and that was when I first spoke about the audacity to imagine. All conscious actions start with a seed of idea and the seed of idea must be accompanied by imagination. It is then dependent on the judgement, will, and determination of the person to translate the ideas and imagination into action. Just like how it takes courage to act, it takes courage to imagine too. Occasionally I tell people jokingly that sometimes I feel like I'm still in uni. This is because till today I still hear the same thing people had been telling me ever since before I graduated - "why do you not want to work elsewhere?" And I fully understand why they said so. It's regrettable many chose to leave the country due to the country's poor management and governance. Those who did not manage to leave the country do not necessarily place their heart and soul here too. Patriotism is too big of a term to be used to access this situation. What we should instead reflect is whether this nation has what it takes to satisfy their needs. Unfortunately, we all know the answer is no. We hear complaints about low purchasing power, limited job supply, stalled growth in wages, unsupportive atmosphere for certain fields/industries, and non-recognition of talents/skills. These flaws in the system had made them place their hope else where. These flaws could have been fixed long time ago if there's political will from the incumbent government. Nowadays many work very hard but struggle to purchase a house on their own, or save enough money for better education for their children, or spend money without worrying if we can still pay our bills next month. It is because of all the difficulties that the system made us face, we lost the courage to imagine. We no longer imagine a nation where our efforts will be recognised, or where we can enjoy the same if not higher purchasing power like some other countries, or where we can walk on the streets without having to fear for snatch thieves who are also struggling to survive. We have also certainly forgotten that each and everyone of us can actually make a difference and bring better change to Malaysia. As a country who is known for "exporting" our talents abroad, our people definitely are equipped with the right skills and strength. Once the system is corrected, we can then again ignite the spark of hope. It's not an easy task to "fix" the system and it won't happen overnight. But eventually, we will be there. We just have to take one step at a time. We must persevere and be determined to stand by our aspiration for a better nation. This is what I mean by having the audacity to imagine. If you're one of them who had stopped imagining a better future for our country, let's not give up now, because change is coming for you and it must come from you. You will be the deciding factor of a better change for us tomorrow. Let us regain the audacity to imagine, and the courage to change.