A “PEOPLES’ TSUNAMI” has swept 92-year-old former premier Mahathir Mohamad back to power, fuelling hope that the world’s oldest leader will bring positive change to Malaysia and the region.

Mahathir’s Pakatan Harapan – the Alliance of Hope – won 113 of the 222 seats contested, while his protege-turned-enemy Najib Razak’s Barisan Nasional (BN) trailed with 79 seats in Malaysia’s 14th general election, which was held on Wednesday. The shock victory brings to an end six decades of rule by the United Malays National Organisation (UMNO) coalition that began after independence from Britain in 1957.

“Yes, yes, I am still alive,” Mahathir told a news conference in the early hours yesterday after learning of his victory. The former strongman had built a campaign around claims of corruption against Najib.

“I am not seeking revenge, we don’t want to punish people but the rule of law will be clearly implemented,” said Mahathir. “If Najib has done something wrong, then he will have to pay the price.”

Speaking to a packed room at Sheraton Hotel in Petaling Jaya, Mahathir, added that those who broke the law, including journalists, “will be brought before the court to be tried”, reported Malaysiakini.

In his first public comments after the results, Najib – looking shattered after the shock loss – told a press conference: “I accept the verdict of the people and BN is committed to the principles of democracy.”

Observers in Malaysia told The Nation it was Najib’s involvement in the scandal around the 1MDB state-development fund that had led to his defeat, since Malaysian people were angry with an administration perceived as corrupt.

Najib is accused of presiding over the looting of sovereign wealth fund 1MDB and has responded with strident denials – and increasing repression. The 64-year-old British-educated Najib is the son of Abdul Razak Hussein, Malaysia’s second premier and founder of UMNO’s long-time coalition, BN. While in power, Najib quashed 1MDB investigations, but Mahathir has said Pakatan Harapan would restore “rule of law”.

1MDB probes “will probably be reopened and it is important that this be done in a fair and judicious way so that Malaysia can come to terms and move beyond the scandal,” Southeast Asia politics analyst Bridget Welsh told Bloomberg.

Supporters of Mahathir Mohamad celebrates in Kuala Lumpur /AFP PHOTO 

A delicate touch likewise is needed to clean up “systemic problems of corruption and rot and kleptocracy”, she added.

The poll win capped a dramatic comeback for Mahathir, who ruled the country with an iron fist for 22 years. Mohamad Azlan Shah, a member of Mahathir’s party in the crowd, said he was “very proud”.

“Our struggle to change Malaysian politics is not wasted. We believe Mahathir can make a change,” he told AFP.

One of the most remarkable aspects of Mahathir’s comeback has been his reconciliation with jailed opposition icon Anwar Ibrahim, his former nemesis, a relationship that has loomed large over the Malaysian political landscape for decades. Anwar was Mahathir’s heir apparent until the premier sacked him in 1998 over political differences, and he was subsequently jailed on charges of sodomy and abuse of power that were widely seen as trumped-up.

Anwar was jailed again during Najib’s rule but he is due for release in June – and Mahathir has promised to secure him a royal pardon, allowing him to run for office again and potentially become prime minister.

Outgoing Malaysian prime minister Najib Razak of the Barisan National party gestures as he arrives to address the media at the party headquarters in Kuala Lumpur/ AFP PHOTO 

Mahathir, whose 1981-2003 tenure as UMNO leader and premier is often credited with creating a modern Malaysia, but also tarnished by the jailing of opponents and entrenchment of the political dominance of Muslim Malays, the country’s majority group, over the sizeable Chinese and Indian minorities.

Just a few years ago, then-retired Mahathir had chastised his former protege Najib for loosening the reins with political liberalisation moves, which Mahathir warned would lead to chaos. Those reforms were later nullified as Najib tightened the screws over 1MDB.

Ever the opportunist, Mahathir now rails against the system he helped create and has promised reforms such as leadership term limits and scrapping an unpopular sales tax imposed by Najib. Malaysiakini called the vote a reminder that politicians are elected to serve the people “and not lord over them”.

“It would be wise for the incoming government to remember this.”

UMNO’s Malay bloc has waged a caustic battle against a diverse opposition alliance that reflects the tropical country’s multicultural make-up, yet is prone to internal divisions of its own.

Any incoming administration faces the daunting task of wresting control of a government bureaucracy steeped in UMNO’s ways, plus the thorny issue of enshrined policies that favour Malays in politics, employment, and other areas.

Mahathir, a key architect of that system while premier, is now a bedfellow with a coalition infused with impatient Chinese and Indian constituencies.

Supporters ofMahathir Mohamad take a selfie in front of the Royal Palace in Kuala Lumpur/EPA-EFE

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