COMMENT | The time is nigh. Destiny beckons. Voters finally have their chance to express their choice, in private and in secret, on how the administration of caretaker prime minister Najib Abdul Razak has governed us.

If GE14 were to be conducted freely, fairly and honestly, there is little doubt that the Pakatan Harapan coalition would sweep to victory. But the reality is otherwise. Gerrymandering, malapportionment and blatant bribery of voters have transformed the political landscape substantially in favour of the BN coalition.

Nonetheless, because of the emotions of the voters – this being the most emotional of campaigns – and the high turnout of voters, I am confident of a Harapan upset victory at the federal level.

Any follower of Malaysian politics in the 1960s and 1970s would recall the 'Rahman' prophecy, which was fulfilled by the first six prime ministers of Malaysia whose names represented each of the letters.

What was not mentioned then was that Najib would be the last Umno prime minister, and that after him, Umno would be defeated at the polls. It is going to happen on May 9. This is the second, and less known, aspect of the Rahman prophecy.

In making their choice, voters must consider the merits of the respective candidates for prime minister. The case against Najib is self-evident.

And to Dr Mahathir Mohamad (photo), this question must be asked: why should a 92-year-old man – who should be desiring a quiet life – return to the political scene, single-mindedly determined to defeat a sitting prime minister, travel thousands of miles across the nation, and campaign at a pace that would shame persons three times younger than him?

It certainly is not ambition that propels Mahathir. After all, he held the prime ministership for a record 22 years. One plausible explanation is his deep-seated love for the nation and his sincere care and concern for the welfare of his people, whom he regards as being oppressed by Najib’s excesses and abuses of power.

But before I consider Mahathir’s other motives to return to the political field, attention must be turned to others.

If one considers the next level of senior leaders in both coalitions, the comparison becomes starker. Ahmad Zahid Hamidi, Hishammuddin Hussein, Liow Tiong Lai, Dr S Subramaniam and Azalina Othman of BN on the one hand, and Dr Wan Azizah Wan Ismail, Lim Kit Siang, Azmin Ali, Lim Guan Eng and Husam Musa of Harapan on the other. And then there is Anwar Ibrahim to join them once legal formalities are resolved upon his prison release.

Kit Siang a national treasure

Most objective observers would rate the Harapan team much higher. Kit Siang should be regarded as a national treasure, having stood courageously for over 50 years on principle against the might of the state. He was twice a victim of detention under the Internal Security Act 1960. It is only fitting and proper that Kit Siang (photo) should be rewarded with a senior cabinet post in a Mahathir administration.

Comparisons cannot end without a passing mention of the wife of the caretaker prime minister (but not the first lady!). Voters only need be reminded of the choice before them: Rosmah Mansor or Dr Siti Hasmah Mohamad Ali, and one can already hear audible gasps of disapproval against one.

Politics is harsh in a functioning, accountable democracy. Politicians are seldom given an opportunity to repair the damage they had inflicted on the body politic or to rectify mistakes while in office.

Mahathir is a rare politician blessed with the opportunity of effecting reforms and changes to the systems and structures that he had put in place for 22 years. It seems that being given a chance to make those changes is a strong motive driving him.

The opposition, by incremental steps in 2008 and 2013, increased their popular vote to 52 percent. Even without Mahathir’s entry into GE14, the opposition’s share of the popular vote would have been around that figure. But Mahathir’s remarkable performance is to single-handedly increase it to over 60 percent.

Mahathir a rockstar, defying medical science

Mahathir is a rockstar, defying medical science. Compared to the novice Najib, he is a political genius who has brought to his campaign his unrivalled experience from 1964 when he was first elected to Parliament. His efforts and contributions have even prompted Daim Zainuddin to publicly predict a Harapan victory.

Perhaps even better indications are the announcements by the Navy and Armed Forces chiefs and the IGP of neutrality by soldiers and policemen – unprecedented since Merdeka. It is not as if these gentlemen suddenly became true democrats and desire a free and fair election. On the contrary, they have seen the writing on the wall, and want to be on the winning side. More will jump the sinking ship!

Voters who demand change and reform would hold a new Mahathir administration to the highest standards. A Harapan government would be criticised if it does not change the terrible policies of BN, speedily improve the lot of the average Malaysians and repeal oppressive laws.

But most importantly, voters can reject them at GE15, which must be held by 2023. So give them a chance!

Whether one recalls “the winds of change” observation of former UK prime minister Harold Macmillan or Bob Dylan’s song “The Times They Are a-Changin’,” change is at our doorstep. Candidates for Harapan and their supporters must not be complacent at this 11th hour, and voters in the millions must vote on Wednesday.

Malaysia is at the crossroads, on the dawn of liberation and victory, perhaps best described by the great bard, William Shakespeare, in Act 4, Scene 3 of his timeless political drama, Julius Caesar:

“There is a tide in the affairs of men,
Which, taken at the flood, leads on to fortune;
Omitted, all the voyage of their life
Is bound in shallows and in miseries.
On such a full sea are we now afloat,
And we must take the current when it serves
Or lose our ventures.”

TOMMY THOMAS is a senior lawyer, who occasionally writes on political and economic matters.

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