One Year On, Massive Challenges Ahead To Solve Bread And Butter Issues For Malaysians

Contributed By Sreejit Pillai of Neruda Communications, a boutique communications and public relations consultancy.

May 9 2019 would make it one year since Pakatan Harapan’s (PH) historic and shock victory over a seemingly invincible and impregnable Barisan Nasional (BN), a coalition in charge of Malaysia’s destiny since Independence. It is a testament to the country’s resilience, inner strength as well as the political wisdom and an appreciation of history by key civil servants and the security forces that enabled a peaceful transition of power to the winning side. The news black-outs on the evening of May 9 gave an early sign to millions of Malaysians that something magical and unprecedented was about to unfold. There was an electrifying air – a bounce even – which lingered in the humid night of May 9 as the hours passed in the evening. Tun Dr Mahathir Mohamed who came out of retirement to lead PH to battle BN and scandal-ridden Datuk Seri Najib Tun Razak, declared victory before midnight. Malaysia did not sleep that night. Many tears were shed. A friend recalled last month she felt an indescribable happiness to know that her aged parents were still alive to witness a pivotal event they never thought they’d see. I wished my late father, a seasoned political commentator and journalist, was alive to see “905”. It was certainly a time to remember for the ages.

It will not be easy to forget the image broadcast on television, watched by millions with electrifying anticipation, of an exhausted 93-year-old Tun Dr Mahathir, kept waiting for almost 24 hours after the polls, signing his appointment letter as the seventh Prime Minister of Malaysia with trembling and wrinkled fingers. Perhaps he already knew the extent of the monumental task awaiting him in his twilight years - to drag Malaysia back from the brink of bankruptcy, kleptocracy and possibly totalitarianism. It is not an exaggeration to infer that Malaysia had wasted 15 years under first, clumsy, and then kleptocratic rule since 2004.