The Malaysian election results have been described as both shocking and humiliating. In a democracy, humbling is a better description. Each of these descriptions entails a response. Only the last description ensures the right kind of response: a change for the better for all of Malaysia, not just for a particular group of people.
The ruling coalition, Barisan Nasional, of Prime Minister Abdullah Badawi remains in power after Saturday's election, but it lost the two-third majority it needs to change the constitution, and it lost control of five out of 13 states.
This is the worst performance in 40 years for Barisan, and raises questions about the future of the coalition, which is led by the United Malays National Organization (UMNO) and includes, among the larger members, the Malaysian Chinese Association (MCA) and the Malaysian Indian Congress (MIC).
One could read many contradictory things about the kind of change Malaysians were demanding through their votes. The only thing we know for sure, however, is that Malaysians want a change. Which direction they want to go is something the elected politicians on both sides of the divide will have to work on.
First, they need to translate the meaning of the votes. Some Malaysians no doubt voted for opposition parties not necessarily because they share the ideology, but because they are tired of the same ruling party and are searching for alternatives.
Many Malays voted for the Islamist PAS. The MIC predictably lost much ground as many Indians grumble about racial discrimination, and the leftist Democratic Action Party made inroads at the expense of the MCA.
But even more formidable is the rise of Parti Rakyat Keadilan (People's Justice Party) under former deputy prime minister Anwar Ibrahim, which becomes the largest opposition party in parliament after Saturday's election.
The opposition forces, given their varied ideologies, could hardly be united beyond the immediate objective of forcing change in Malaysia. The PAS obviously feels vindicated to push for its Islamist agenda, which would be detrimental to the minority Chinese and Indians. The rise of the People's Justice Party, on the other hand, signals that some Malaysians are fed up with race-based (and religious-based) politics and are seeking a party that transcends racial and religious barriers.
That the opposition forces were able to create a huge dent in the ruling coalition is an achievement in itself. Malaysia's mainstream media is largely controlled by major ruling parties, but the opposition camp relied on the Internet to help with their campaigns. Ignoring the lack of a level playing field, the Malaysian election was by and large free and fair, and certainly democratic.
Obviously, the most ideal direction for Malaysia, at least from Indonesia's perspective, is to dismantle the race-based political structure so the country can become Truly Asia, the logo it used so successfully for Visit Malaysia Year 2007. This is a tall order given that the Malaysian constitution recognizes Muslim-Malays as the sons of the soil. And the UMNO is unlikely to do away with the affirmative action policy, giving privileges to Malays, anytime soon.
Yet, this is one of the messages ethnic Chinese and Indians sent when they voted for parties other than Barisan Nasional parties. The discriminatory policies emanating from the Malaysian constitution are simply inconsistent with universal democratic values. They have to go, one way or the other, sooner or later.
And giving Malaysians more space to express their opinions will certainly help in determining the direction of change and in gauging public opinion. In this age of the Internet, the government cannot control the flow of information. The best it can do is to facilitate this flow.
The wind of change is blowing in Malaysia. But this is a self-generated wind, one that is propelled internally, rather than one blowing from Indonesia. The wind of Indonesia's reformasi passed through Malaysia in 1998, but it only caused a ripple before it faded away. This time, it is blowing through with a much greater force.
Whichever direction of change the newly elected parliament of Malaysia decides upon, it most certainly cannot go back to the race-based politics of the past. We wish the Malaysian leaders all the success as they try to translate the aspirations of the new Malaysia following Sunday's election.
