Welcoming a new era in Malaysia

IN view of the results of Malaysia’s general election this week, it is not unkind to say that the outcome was a pleasant surprise, and provided a fine example of how to practice democracy on a large scale. Despite fears beforehand that the contentious election could be tainted by fraud or violence, it was carried out cleanly and efficiently, with the results being tabulated and announced within a matter of hours.

In that regard, the Philippines could certainly learn a thing or two from Malaysia’s electoral exercise, which was all the more remarkable because it upended the monolithic Barisan Nasional (BN) coalition that has governed Malaysia since the country’s independence in 1957. After a few hours of suspense, not unexpected for an election of such significance, Prime Minister Najib Razak graciously acknowledged the will of the people and conceded defeat, handing over power to his one-time mentor and former Prime Minister Mahathir Mohamad.