Malaysia’s Alliance of Hope-led (Pakatan Harapan) government turns one today, and like most one-year-olds, there have been a few falls and bumps.Euphoria swept through the country after the coalition led by former prime minister Mahathir Mohamed shocked the nation on 9 May last year, finally handing Malaysia its first new government after 61 years of independence.
Malaysia’s landmark election on 9 May 2018 saw the National Front (Barisan Nasional) lose its grip on power for the first time in 60 years. The media – both foreign and local – were abuzz with news of the defeat at the hands of the Alliance of Hope (Pakatan Harapan) coalition. Many local politicians were cast under the spotlight and this was not limited to former prime minister Najib Razak and new Prime Minister Mahathir Mohamad.
After a watershed general election in May, Malaysia’s newly elected government – with many fresh faces – is eagerly at work, buoyed along by strong public support and sky-high approval ratings. However, an unchecked democracy runs the risk of having a government that rests on its laurels – or worse – regresses in its performance. Opposition to power is just as important as the power to govern itself.
