COMMENT | We made history, together.

We wept tears of joy, together.

We walk bravely into our future, together.

The arrival of this moment is surreal, the emotions it brings indescribable.

Thank you to all the Malaysians who made it possible, and especially to those who have made it their life’s work to see this day through.

When the euphoria fades, and the dust finally settles, we’re going to have to roll up our sleeves, and get to work – to rebuild from the rubble the greatness of our nation.

There are five areas, in which I feel we should dare to invest the most hope in: National unity; bridging political divides; truth and reconciliation; education; and institutional checks and balances.

Restoring national unity by deracialising politics

Elections almost invariably divide nations, and reveal various fault lines of society.

Whether or not these fault lines continue to divide us will depend largely on how ready Harapan is to ditch the evils of divide-and-rule that have plagued us since before independence, in favour of a more inclusive and less racial political culture.

With this victory, and the decisive defeat of the BN formula, we have the opportunity to put behind us forever the notion of one political party for one race.

We often talk about politicising race, but it is this formula that has racialised politics; and starting from today, we have an opportunity to deracialise it once and for all.

Under BN, we were conditioned and duped into seeing everything through a racial lens. A new government can lead the way in showing us that there is more that unites us as Malaysians, than that which divides us as Ibans, Kadazans, Chinese, Malays or Indians.

This is a golden opportunity to start, from the top down, moving decisively away from the attitude that every Malaysian problem is a racial one.

Malaysians have always naturally tended towards integration and harmony, all while preserving our unique and diverse cultural identities.

If Harapan commits to rejecting playing up race or religion, I have no doubt that unity will once again thrive, the way it did in our parents’ generation.

Bridging political and social divides

Besides race, this is an opportunity to heal the wounds of political differences.

A very large number of Malaysians voted for both Umno and PAS. It is important to understand the aspirations of these voters, to allay their fears, and to put their anxieties to rest.

Harapan should take the opportunity to see Kelantan and Terengganu not as alien lands full of strange people, but as fellow Malaysians who have different aspirations. 

We must find a way to accommodate those aspirations, and to weave them harmoniously with the rest of our goals as a nation.

I think Malaysia will benefit from seeing PAS not primarily as political competitors, but a conduit through which we can engage constructively with Malaysians who are politically and ideologically different, but every bit as Malaysian as any one of us.

Let us do what we can to coax PAS away from adopting a siege mentality, and incentivise constructive engagement. Perak, by the way, would be an excellent place to start.

Justice, truth and reconciliation

Harapan must now also choose wisely, as it decides how to handle the various injustices we have faced on the road here.

I think there is no question that major corruption cases such as 1MDB must be reinvestigated thoroughly, so that the truth is laid bare to see.

Other cases also come to mind, such as the deaths of Altantuya Shaariibuu, Teoh Beng Hock, Ahmad Sarbani Mohamed, or countless detainees who have died in detention.

While we pursue the truth, perhaps it will be wisest to do so without baying for blood, or for heads to roll.

The example of South Africa may be worth looking at, where the decision to pursue a Truth and Reconciliation Commission instead of heavy-handedly pursuing prosecution made the difficult road to national healing that much easier.

Empowering education

Malaysia’s educational institutions are an important area in which Harapan can sow some of the most important seeds for the future.

Simply eliminating the Akujanji pledge from institutions of higher learning, and allowing Malaysian academics freedom of inquiry and responsible freedom of speech will pave the way for a generation of Malaysians who will be able to think intelligently, independently and critically.

Improving the standards of our national schools will also allow them to serve as the true breeding grounds of genuine national unity, by giving Malaysians from all walks of life a positive first experience of what living in a bigger Malaysia is like.

Never again must ignorance be subtly encouraged among Malaysians as a method to ease political exploitation.

In its place, we must institutionalise freedoms that will give birth to intellectual giants, and giant intellects. These too will be one of the most important ways of safeguarding our nation’s future.

Checks and balances

The final golden opportunity is to restore and strengthen Malaysia’s democratic institutions - especially those whose primary purpose is to provide neutral checks and balances.

Institutions that top this list are the judiciary, law enforcement, and the media.

Dr Mahathir Mohamad’s first premiership crippled these institutions. He may be the first former dictator to be given an opportunity to right all his previous wrongs.

It is my firm belief that there are plenty of Malaysians who are eminently qualified to help run these institutions in a way that enshrines integrity above all.

There is no better way for Harapan to prove its commitment to clean governance, than to give such Malaysians the mandate and a free hand in restoring the integrity of institutions that have been tarnished from top to bottom.

This is the only way to ensure that our country’s heart and soul can never again be ravaged the way it was - stripped of its resources, to become a playground for thieves and kleptocrats.

A Malaysian renaissance

The coalition that won this election chose “Hope” as its name.

There is no doubt that that is exactly what millions of Malaysians are carrying so close to their hearts today.

Those hearts are bursting with anxious hope, barely able to believe that what is happening all around us is real; and that which we hope for is nothing short of a Malaysian renaissance - a rebirth.

Hand in hand, let us rebuild Malaysia, together.

From discord and hate, unity and love; from corruption and wastage, efficiency and prosperity; from darkness and despair, light and hope.

NATHANIEL TAN is eager to serve.

The views expressed here are those of the author/contributor and do not necessarily represent the views of Malaysiakini.