YOURSAY | ‘Based on GE14 statistics, Bersatu is not the main reason people support Harapan.’

Did Mahathir win the general election?

VP Biden: Well said and backed by statistics, Malaysiakini columnist P Gunasegaram.

The reformasi movement of 20 years did the trick. There will be naysayers, but it is true that in the Malay belt where Bersatu was expected to gain traction, it failed miserably.

Having said that, it is better to close ranks now and move forward. The only beef with Bersatu is it has to earn its keep but they are being presented opportunities on a platter. It has to go through the hardship gone through by PKR, DAP and Amanah.

They have been given a shortcut to power by magnanimous PKR, DAP and Amanah. Don't blow it.

Anonymous #33227154: Yes, based on the statistics, Bersatu is not the main reason people support Pakatan Harapan. The backbone of Harapan is still PKR and DAP.

People voted for a change of government, not because of Prime Minister Dr Mahathir Mohamad or Bersatu. Bersatu should be careful not to put themselves as an Umno replacement, only representing the Malays and their interests.

A race-based party is not what Malaysians want or need. We want parties that can represent all Malaysians, including those in Sabah and Sarawak, which say no to corruption, racism and religious extremism.

Malayamuda: Indeed, we did not achieve this in a short time. It took 20 long years.

So many rallies, street demos, memorandums, arrests, water cannons, black eyes, mattresses, corruption. The momentum has been building up since 1998, and each time the opposition has been moving closer towards Putrajaya.

Remember 2013, when we were almost there. Mahathir is a factor, but not the factor.

OMG!: It’s a pity the comments show that readers have, by and large, become besotted with Mahathir. I applaud Guna's technical analysis. But maybe this analysis misses the wood for the trees.

Mahathir seems to have been the glue that bound Harapan together and still does.

The fact is that Malays did not, by and large, vote for an egalitarian nation; they suspected Najib was corrupt (even though they may not have understood 1MDB) and the cost of living was hurting (even though GST was no longer the prime or only reason). Harapan played their cards well.

That egalitarian nation remains an elusive goal. We shall not get there now or by GE15, or GE16, or GE17. But we must keep heading towards it.

Plus, we have structural issues stemming from our constitution. Additionally, May 13 has created, 49 years later, a worldview among many of us that is seriously flawed and does a disservice to our mutual strengths.

For a while, we have got to obey the underlying socio-political inertia that grips us. Like a supertanker that keeps travelling on for few kilometres even when a change has been signalled at the till.

But we have got to make that change. Mahathir will likely not be the man who sees it through. Neither will PKR de facto leader Anwar Ibrahim. But change has begun finally and the scent of hope is in the air.

Please keep challenging prevailing views, Guna. This opens up our space for freedom of expression.

Lepak: Revealing figures and great analysis. Indeed, GE14 was not a one-off thing, but the culmination of a steady push towards power over the last few election cycles by the PKR-DAP combo (and PAS for a period).

Fairplayer: I do agree with Guna's analysis. Mahathir was a factor, but not the factor.

That's why I was personally not humoured by his reckless appointing of greenhorns from Bersatu to important ministerial portfolios, and his disrespecting the names submitted by DAP and PKR top leadership, thus brushing aside Harapan's consensus agreement.

I appreciate Guna's effort in this article. Thank you, Guna.

To be fair to Mahathir, I think he was the man who swung the votes from the military, navy, police and civil servants. He did what Deputy Prime Minister Dr Wan Azizah Wan Ismail or Anwar could not do. For that, I give him due credit.

However, we still have to keep him walking the straight and narrow so that Umno 2.0 does not emerge from Bersatu.

David Dass: Statistics aside, is there anyone who disputes the almost cult-like following that Mahathir enjoys? Is there anyone in doubt about the respect and even admiration Mahathir enjoys from the heads of the coalition partners?

Wan Azizah has spoken about the vital role that Mahathir plays. Finance Minister Lim Guan Eng, DAP veteran Lim Kit Siang and Defence Minister Mohamad Sabu seem extremely comfortable with Mahathir's leadership.

Whatever his party's performance, Mahathir stands alone. His stature and his experience are required. And all members of the coalition seem comfortable with him.

But Guna makes several very good points. Both PKR and DAP have fought long and hard for the victory that was finally obtained. The previous two elections indicated the trend towards change. Governing Selangor and Penang gave people a view of the possibilities.

Mahathir only joined the opposition quite recently. But his leadership of the coalition gave it the impetus required to win the elections and to form the new government.

Having said that, coalition partners must now assert their respective positions on all issues. The negotiations should be conducted behind closed doors. We do not know that this is not already happening.

The role of the Council of Eminent Persons will be limited in time. They will have completed their work within 100 days. They have no constitutional status. In fact, they have no real authority and power, and can only serve as advisers to the government.

With a full cabinet in place, all their recommendations will have to be agreed to by the government. There will have to be a tidying up of things. All committees set up to deal with urgent transitional matters will have to work with the relevant government agencies.

We must not delude ourselves that these are ordinary times and that there was nothing extraordinary about the change in government.

Mahathir's experience and skills are essential to manage the transition from one type of government to another. As always, Guna makes us think about difficult issues.

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