The historic 14th General Election decision of May 9, 2018, when Malaysian voters shocked themselves and the world in effecting a peaceful and democratic transition of power in a Putrajaya is akin to a miracle.

This is why the 14th Malaysian Election result is quoted by global political observers major publications in the world as one of the great global events for the year 2018 which has just ended.

The Economist, for instance, in its edition dated Dec. 18, 2018, named Malaysia together with Ethiopia and Armenia in the three-nation finals list in its “ovation country of the year 2018” – for Malaysian voters who “fired a Prime Minister who could not adequately explain why there was US$700 million in his bank account”.

The Economist said:

“Despite Najib Razak’s glaring imperfections, his sacking was a surprise. Malaysia’s ruling party had dominated politics since the 1950s and gerrymandered furiously to keep it that way. Yet the opposition triumphed at an election, and Malaysians enjoyed the delicious spectacle of police removing big boxes of cash, jewellery and designer handbags from their former leader’s home.”

I remember speaking to Malaysians at the University of Hong Kong in November last year, where one of them admitted that for a few years before the historic decision of May 9, 2018, he had not dared to admit that he was a Malaysian! Read the rest of this entry »