The election results was a referendum of the performance of Bush especially in his handling of the Iraq war. The effect of the election results can be immediately seen with the sudden resignation of Defence Secretary Donald Rumsfeld, whom President Bush had steadfastly refused to sack only last week. What President Bush is doing is not unusual as he is only bowing down to the wishes of the voters who clearly wanted Rumsfeld to go.

Malaysian voters should learn from the US mid-terms elections, and the subsequent changes in policies and personnel made by Bush, as a clear lesson that democracy can not only empower the people, it can bring about a new direction to a better society that is  more just, free and peaceful. The question is whether Malaysians have the same courage as American voters to change course to a new direction when existing leaders have failed.