COMMENT | In the analysis following the outcome of GE14, there is now a deluge of reasons put forward for the Pakatan Harapan victory. Reasons advanced, include the surfeit of corruption scandals topped by the 1MDB and Felda cases; the livelihood woes of those in the lower and middle class; the outrage with Umno's version of the rule of law; etc.

I have myself noted the role of social media and WhatsApp in countering BN's superiority in money and media through the internet and WhatsApp dissemination of anti-Najib and anti-BN messages which resonated with the masses.

According to the latest one by Umno Youth chief, Khairy Jamaluddin, he commented that the party (including himself) lost because it held on to a feudal mindset of hiding the truth from the leader; and noted that the party had become detached from reality while believing in its invincibility.

Whatever the reason, there is no doubt that Umno - indeed drunk on its own Kool-Aid (and that of advisers and consultants) - underestimated the role of Dr Mahathir Mohamad in this watershed election in Malaysian history.

Clearly, Mahathir was the game changer in the stunning election outcome. Without him, BN will still be the ruling government, and Najib Abdul Razak the prime minister.

Indisputably too, without Mahathir, Malaysians will not have the astonishing political spectacle that we have been witnessing in the last few days - resignations of the leaders of BN's main component parties; the swift switch of allegiance of some BN candidates, including successful ones; the sacking or 'voluntary' departure of heads of some powerful government agencies; the confession of “buckling under pressure” made by a corporate giant; and other once in a lifetime acts of political drama that are unfolding on a daily basis to grip the public's attention.

But even as many of the long-suffering rakyat are enjoying this unedifying rout of the former long-ruling party and its supporters; even as some savour what they view as grovelling but overdue admissions such as that by NSTP group CEO A Jalil Hamid, formerly the BN's and Umno's chief cheerleader in the English media, who now says that “We need to now adjust editorially. Whether it be content ...and so on. We need to transform to the political environment”; it is necessary to keep reminding that there is a very long road ahead in repairing the damage that over 50 years of BN misrule has wrought in our economy, political life, culture and society.

And the obstacles do not only come from those on the losing side of the political divide.

The downside of winner takes all

Raja Petra Kamarudin, widely vilified for abandoning his professed principles of fighting for truth and justice when he apparently became one of Najib's (in photo) main attack dogs in the blogging world, has described one possible scenario of the likely election aftermath.

In an article on the election eve, he had predicted that the opposition would win no more than 80 seats.

Following the swearing in of Mahathir as the prime minister and what he acknowledged as “game over for ex-prime minister Najib Abdul Razak, Umno and BN”, he wrote:

"Malaysian politics is a winner takes all and losers lose all game. And Malaysian politics is a game of patronage and punishment. So many are going to be rewarded for Pakatan (Harapan’s) win and many are going to be slaughtered for going against Pakatan. That is how it works."

RPK may sound like a sore loser but there is some truth in his assessment of what lies next in our politics.

With the Harapan victory, we can expect those who contributed to it to lay their claim to a share of the spoils. Some will be deserving; others less so. Also joining the queue of reward seekers will be the latest salesmen and sycophants and opportunists from all sectors - business, universities and think tanks, media, the civil service, etc.

In a piece written 3 years earlier on “How Mahathir has been checkmated”, I had noted:

"Basically, we have seen Umno and other BN parties bring into their sphere of influence allies, supporters and cronies which include civil servants, businessmen, politicians, members of royalty, military officials, academicians, professionals, journalists and religious functionaries. The biggest rewards are doled out by those at the top of the pyramid of power in Umno and to a lesser extent, the other BN parties. These rewards have enabled groups and individuals at the higher levels to become privileged, wealthy and influential, often beyond their wildest expectations.

"The enormous patronage system has also enabled lower level beneficiaries to enjoy lesser but still coveted rewards such as accelerated career advancement or overseas junkets or lucrative business contracts, concessions, licenses and other material perks.

"Perhaps the most adroit exploiter of the patronage system was Mahathir, in part because of the longevity of his tenure, and in part, because of how he permitted public interest to be sacrificed on the altar of political expediency.

"Now, in his battle to oust the current prime minister, that structure of top-down power relationship and system of patronage and reward to supporters that Mahathir built and solidified stands in the way of the change that he is urging on the nation."

The system of patronage and cronyism aligned to political power is to be found in all systems of government in the world, be it democratic or authoritarian. It found especially fertile ground in Malaysia because the major checks and balances - including that of public opinion - were deficient, defective or missing.

Independent and vigilant social media - though not of the RPK kind and that of paid cybertroopers, and mercenaries of ethnic and religious hatred – has opened up a new front in transparency and accountability.

In questioning authority, confronting the powerful and privileged, and exposing the flaws of the old and new ruling elite, it will help to jumpstart the good governance that has been lost in the last 50 years.

LIM TECK GHEE is a retired academician and is currently a public policy analyst.

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