The dawn of a new era
Pakatan Harapan’s GE14 win is an opportunity for Malaysia to hit the reset button.
I WAS expecting a gelombang (wave). I was wrong, it was a tsunami. The anti-Barisan Nasional sentiments swept the country last Wednesday on a scale never seen in the history of this nation.
I was spectacularly wrong about my prediction for GE14. I spoke to politicians from both sides of the political divide. I travelled the entire length of the peninsula just to get a feel of things. I could sense something “different”, especially in the Malay heartlands, but the results were nothing less than dramatic.
It was a bruising fight all right. There were simply too many issues, resulting in Barisan’s machinery doing a lot of fire dousing. Perhaps it failed to acknowledge that the dynamics of society are changing. A new demography of the voting public is emerging.
Ironically, the charge is led by one of the oldest politicians on planet Earth today. Thanks to him and his indefatigable crusaders, they achieved something that most people thought impossible even about a year ago – outsmarting the welloiled Barisan election machinery.
Moving on, this is an opportunity for the nation to take stock and reflect, especially on how we should be conducting our politics. The win by Pakatan Harapan proves that politics can be colour-blind, inclusive and all-encompassing.
We have seen how the ghost of racial politics dissipated under the burden of “the Cause”. Even the Malays’ perception of DAP has been toned down to an acceptable level.
After all, in 2013, DAP was in the same camp as PAS, known for its fiery, fervent and conservative religious and political stance.
It didn’t happen in 2013 despite so much hope to unseat Barisan. It happened this time without PAS.
And PAS is the biggest loser in this election. Even if it positioned itself as a power broker, it didn’t happen. Its strategy has backfired spectacularly.
The Pakatan rallies manifest its multiracial colour. The compromise within its ranks too is remarkable.
Imagine DAP agreeing to use another party’s logo for the first time in history. To the Malays especially, it is a significant and meaningful gesture.
Elections are about symbolism-and gestures. The multiracial nature of Pakatan’s clarion call was well received, especially by the young. Young voters of all races, informed and notoriously connected, are changing the political landscape of this nation.
I am seeing hope for a new political culture in the country – one that promises a non-racial construct. For far too long, we have been looking at politics from the prism of our ethnic biases and perceptions. It is changing for the better, I hope.
At least this election is paving a new path to ease racial tension.
We can’t get our students to go to the same school but at least they are united by a Cause – whatever that is.
We can’t change political culture in one election. But we have set a good example on how politics can unite rather than polarise us.
We want our young to understand that the political culture of this country is healthy and smart – not one that is based on age-old perceptions and interpretations.
Finding a common ground, better understanding and muhibbah (good neighbourliness) is what unity is all about.
We have not been overtly successful in managing race relations of late. Our people are drifting apart. Part of the problem is our obsession with racial politics.
Even the setting up of the National Unity Consultative Council (NUCC) did not help. In fact, many of the recommendations by the council are now gathering dust somewhere.
Like many such initiatives, we announced the council’s creation with a bang and its work ended with a whimper.
We need a good start for a healthy political culture to nurture. We are progressing as a nation.
We are utilising modern gadgetry to the fullest.
Social media is now defining us. In fact, losing in the social media realm is a sure-fire disaster for any political party.
The new government must use social media effectively to communicate and to ensure we are maturing in our use of modern apparatuses. It should not be used as a weapon of mass destruction.
Some say this is the dawn of a new era. Malaysians have decided to change the government.
This is the chance to start afresh. It is an opportunity to bring back good governance and integrity.
It is time to energise civil society, to free the media and to unshackle Malaysians from the yoke of draconian and irrelevant laws.
A healthy democracy and the maturing of Malaysian society begins with that.