Opinion | A revolution in Malaysia? Not so fast ...
Mahathir Mohamad has made history in a stunning win for the opposition. But the task ahead is one of reform that will take place sometimes in a rush, sometimes imperceptibly
Now when it finally happens, it seems to have been inevitable all along, and only a matter of time. But let’s be honest. It certainly did not feel that way, not even when polling day began. For most Malaysians, toppling the Barisan Nasional (BN) was simply not possible.
BN had after all ruled Malaya/Malaysia since independence. It started out as the Alliance in its first nationwide elections in 1955, expanded to become BN for the 1974 elections, and has remained the central power ever since.
And for a large part of that period, Mahathir Mohamad was its president.
It also had the undying loyalty of many in the Malay community, and could count on the over-represented East Malaysian states of Sabah and Sarawak to stay in power at the federal level.
What nobody on Earth could have imagined was that the finally successful attack on the BN would be led by Mahathir himself. In giving credit to him for this historically stunning achievement, one should not for a second diminish the resilience and courage of so many now grouped under the banner of the Pakatan Harapan that now takes on the exciting but daunting task of reforming Malaysia.
