Credit where credit is due

In this honeymoon period of triumphalism, when the phrases “political tsunami” and “triumph of Malaysian democracy” are going to be bandied around like so many handouts (read into that what you will 😉 ) during election season, I feel that not enough is being made of certain positives that have come out of all this.

Here’s my top 10 list in REVERSE order from 10 to 1, with the top 3 in bold;

• The cooperation between PAS, PKR, and DAP in forming an alternative opposition
• The movement away from race based politics to one more focused on the issues – I realise that this was a negative vote against the ruling party rather than one for the opposition but hopefully over the next 5 years we will develop a more thinking attitude towards choosing our government
• The highlighting of some real morons who don’t know how to lose gracefully – e.g. Zainuddin Maidin in Sg Petani who basically said that now that voters have chosen the opposition they have to watch out and Anuar Musa who basically blamed the voters
• Tan Sri Koh Tsu Koon, who thoroughly deserves our respect for the way he handled his defeat by calling the Yang Di Pertua to inform him and by calling Lim Guan Eng to smooth the transition. By his words and deeds he has shown how a Malaysian politician SHOULD act.
• The fact that the SPR or EC did a good job within their ambit. I’m sure they don’t have an easy job of it. Like many of our institutions in this country, they’re hamstrung by rules which favour the incumbents. The gerrymandering, the outright intimidation, the lack of teeth of the EC are all directly attributable to our previous governments.
• The fact that when the Rakyat put their mind to it, ANYTHING is possible
• Ideas are paramount – we are what we think we are.
• The acceptance of the results by Pak Lah and the ruling coalition, BN, though I’m certain some quarters were not as sanguine and were urging our top leadership to more subversive action. I’m not certain this peaceful transition would have been the case if the previous administration were in power. In this respect, credit where credit is due and congratulations to Pak Lah for not subverting the democratic process.
• The totally peaceful nature in which the results were received and the consequences accepted.
• The fact that our ballot box does work! No matter how leaky the bucket, we’re still able to draw water from the well.

While I believe in giving credit where credit is due, I also believe that the top leadership in BN should take responsibility for this and do the right thing. It need not be immediate but they should set a transition date and smoothly hand over to designated successors to rebuild. Just because we don’t know who the successors are or feel that there may not be any doesn’t mean that the right thing shouldn’t be done.