Malaysia — older and much wiser

Second acts in politics are not unknown. But the rise, fall and rise again of Mahathir Mohamad, the father of modern Malaysia, is a rare story where a historic figure gets a chance to right the wrongs that he was responsible for.

Mahathir is Malaysia’s new prime minister and – at 92 – the world’s oldest leader. He won by defeating the party he led for over two decades, ending the career of his former protege Najib Razak. This is an electoral earthquake: The United Malays National Organisation has run Malaysia since its independence 61 years ago. The opposition that Mahathir now leads was originally formed to oppose his own autocratic rule.

Yet Mahathir will take power, he says, only to give it away – handing over to a former apprentice, Anwar Ibrahim, whom he saw jailed on trumpedup sodomy charges after the pair fell out, as well as reversing draconian laws designed to shackle journalists who had exposed corruption.

The next test for the Pakatan Harapan governing coalition will be when Ibrahim is released next month. He is almost certain to return to Parliament and Mahathir will have to make good on his promise to give up the throne. But this is a welcome challenge for a Muslim-majority nation where the public should be congratulated for proving that voting does make a very real and refreshing difference.