Prime Minister Abdullah Ahmad Badawi asked to be given a resolute mandate to exercise reforms and his call was responded enthusiastically by Malaysian voters who gave the premier more than 90 percent majority in the parliament.

While some local pundits hailed the extraordinary electoral success of the Barisan Nasional (BN) to the coalition's ability in stemming the advances of PAS' version of political Islam, there are other relevant observations which could be derived from the recent outcome of the general election.

First, it was obvious that the promise of economic development and social progress takes a higher priority than any religious or democratisation agenda. The new administration's assurance of a better, cleaner and more efficient governance strikes the right cord with the voters who want to see complacency, bureaucratic red tape, inefficiency and nonchalance which epitomised the civil service mentality and attitude replaced by a more customer focused and service oriented culture.

The people recognised that the nation is faced with greater emphasis from international investors on clean governance, transparency and legal predictability.

For example, BN election manifesto in Terengganu a combination of religious moderation and developmental promise has proven to be very effective and attractive to the largely pragmatic voters compared to PAS' promise of heaven.

Meanwhile, Keadilan has tried unsuccessfully to highlight the issue of justice and democratisation, using Anwar Ibrahim's persecution as its sole issue.

Over the years, the people have grown immune and indifferent to lopsided election campaigning, media abuses and other undemocratic practices employed by political parties as long as the ruling government can deliver economic development and material benefits.

As long as there are employment opportunities, robust stock prices, socio-economic stability and well-managed infrastructures, Malaysians in general are not too concerned with issues such as the shortest campaign period, gerrymandering of electoral boundaries, phantom voters, democratic rights et cetera.

Hence, their choice of representatives is service oriented i.e. ability to address day-to-day local issues rather than playing a true legislative role.

However, the people also expected Abdullah to come down hard on corruption, nepotism and cronyism, believing that these practices are bad for the economy and the nation's ability in attracting foreign direct investment (FDI)

Insofar, the prime minister has given ample hope that such practices will be eradicated. It remains to be seen if the Abdullah administration can muster enough political will to keep a reasonable distance away from cronyism, ambiguous policies and abuses especially with the overwhelming mandate he has received. It must be noted that until now his administration's response to these problems has consisted largely of statements, promises and some token actions.

Consequently, his government could help to deepen confidence if clear milestones can be mapped out to highlight strategic actions and steps to be taken to ensure that the momentum of reforms already embarked on (police force) is sustained.

Perhaps the prime minister would want to start similar initiatives for education, the civil service and ethnic relations. The regression of the national unity portfolio from a full ministry to a department within the prime minister's office is truly a setback especially when our national identity is more form than substance.

Immediate attention should also be given to the national service programme - which is supposed to enhance unity amongst youths to rectify teething, planning and implementation problems before it becomes a laughing stock or a national disaster.

Next, this writer believes that the election outcome is also a positive referendum for multiracialism, multiculturalism and religious moderation. Since 1999, with PAS forming the core of the opposition in the Parliament, Malaysians were treated with persistently sterile and potentially dangerous debates on Islamisation. Hopefully, the decisive support for BN and the marginalisation of PAS in this election will alter this stalemate.

DAP's Lim Kit Siang should not be too quick to claim success over his 'No to 929' campaign for his party's stronger showing in this election. A series of surveys conducted by the Sedar Institute, an independent think-tank supported by Gerakan, showed that voters in urban constituencies ranked economic performance, employment opportunities, education and security higher than religious issues.

However, it was obvious that the urban voters wanted some check-and-balance in the parliament and voted in the DAP in several constituencies. The stronger showing of the DAP can be attributed to two factors: first, its divorce from PAS and second, that it is still considered as a more reliable opposition compared with Keadilan.

DAP MPs can further enhance their parliamentary contributions by focusing on national policies instead of pursuing the 'No to 929' campaign which could lead to unnecessary polarisation and clashes.

On the outset, it is difficult to predict whether the outcome of the general elections will lead to something better. However, there are three possibilities which can happen: first, armed with an overwhelming mandate, Abdullah is able to curb corruption, improve governance and create a transparent government.

Second, short of making any significant improvement after five years, PAS again would be able to capitalise on corruption and social inequalities to repackage their Islamic state agenda as a solution and third, short of solid political backing from BN and especially Umno, Abdullah's personal effort to change the system will be defeated and this fits perfectly into DAP's prophecy.

Whatever the outcome, the ball is definitely in Pak Lah's court.