Mounting public frustration over widespread corruption claims and systematic abuse of government institutions led to the BN's historical downfall in the 14th general election on May 9 last year.
Pakatan Harapan's rise to federal power eventually saw Dr Mahathir Mohamad return as Malaysia's seventh prime minister.
More than just the efforts of political parties and established NGOs, it is undeniable that Harapan's victory was also partly due to the hope placed in them by millions of ordinary Malaysians who rallied behind their call for change.
A year has now passed and it seems that Harapan no longer enjoys the high popularity it did during its early stages of governing the country. A recent survey by pollster Merdeka Centre found that Mahathir's approval rating had slipped to 46 percent, down from 83 percent last May.
In conjunction with Harapan’s first year anniversary, Malaysiakini caught up with several groups and individuals who not only exercised their right to vote but also assisted others who otherwise would have been denied their constitutional right.
Those interviewed did criticise Harapan for its undelivered promises and below-expectation performance, but also said they had no regrets pushing for a regime change and that more time was needed for the government to prove its worth.
Here are excerpts of their stories, from looking back on the run-up to GE14 last year and their observations over the past year to their hopes for the future of Malaysia.
Undi Rabu co-founders Lee Wai Hong and Siah Kwong Liang
Having cooperated to mobilise the Undi Rabu movement targeted towards assisting voters to travel home for polling day last year, Lee and Siah now have different views on their expectations of the new government.
Siah is the Kuala Lumpur and Selangor Chinese Assembly Hall Youth president and Lee is his predecessor.
Lee admitted to having little expectations and that it was “normal” for a slow start. “We should not be too naive to expect that our daily lives would see a big change or become better immediately,” he argued.
He likened the process of change to the settling of a large credit card debt which would require a long period of time.
However, Siah, who said Harapan has not done enough on its promises for institutional reform, said the new government should stop blaming BN as it now had control of all the relevant agencies.
He also said Lee’s comparison of the government’s challenges to the challenges faced by ordinary persons was inaccurate, given the difference in their access to resources.
“You have the power, so whether you can solve the problem or implement the policy, it is up to your political will,” he said.
Pulang Mengundi, Timothy Teoh and Grace Look
The Pulang Mengundi movement was launched on April 13, 2018, as a neutral platform to connect Malaysians with other Malaysians to help them travel home to vote by providing car-pooling services and travel subsidies.
According to their website, Pulang Mengundi and their affiliated partners eventually connected more than 10,000 Malaysians and matched more than RM105,000 from donors to people who needed help getting home on polling day.
On their ratings for Harapan's performance over the past one year, Teoh admitted that unlike some people, he had not harboured “super high” expectations beyond proving that it was possible for Malaysians to push for a peaceful change in government.
On Harapan's “U-turns” on several crucial policies and decisions, Teoh said he was slightly disappointed although he was quick to add that it was a sign the government was more responsive to the people.
“As for all these things about U-turns and policy changes, to me, at least, it shows that the government is listening to what we say. Whatever 'disappointments' people have in Harapan, I would say they are still a better choice,” said Teoh, who is a content developer.
On that note, both Teoh and Look are willing to give Harapan another chance in the next general election, with Look saying that the coalition needed more time to prove itself.
“And I think sometimes to see the impact it will take a while. It has just been a year,” she added.
Teoh pointed out that Harapan was still a better choice despite the disappointment, as BN “has not really changed much”.
Malaysians overseas, Lim Chiu Yee and Steven Lee
They are strangers to one another but supervisor Lim Chiu Yee and photographer Steven Lee shared the similar experience of being among the Malaysians who returned from abroad not only to vote in GE14 but also with ballot papers belonging to others unable to make the journey home.
Both of them arrived at KLIA from Heathrow Airport, London. In separate email interviews, Lim said she brought along more than a dozen ballot papers while Lee had only one.
Both Lim and Lee said they have no regrets about their decisions to make the journey home. But while Lee is confident that Harapan will be given more than one term to truly prove itself, Lim expressed some caution.
“I hope they (the government) will understand that they have been elected by the nation and they have the responsibility to fulfil all the manifesto promises. If the promises were merely empty promises, Malaysians would know how to respond in the next GE,” said Lim, a voter in Bandar Tun Razak.
Having recently graduated with a law degree, Lim, a former journalist with a local Chinese daily, said she has started a new career as a supervisor in the UK.
While noting that there were now more opportunities available in Malaysia, Lim said there was a still a long journey to attracting skilled talents home, particularly in terms of salaries and benefits offered.
With most of his adult years spent living abroad, Lee similarly said that tackling the “brain drain” issue would remain a challenge for Harapan, besides the move to push for higher wages and equal opportunities for all.
Mici Soo, 45, Polling and Counting Agent (Paca) trainer, Tindak Malaysia
Beyond collecting and transporting individual ballot papers, equally important were the roles of the Polling and Counting Agents (Paca) stationed to monitor the voting process at the individual polling centres throughout the country on May 9.
Art therapist and former lecturer Mici Soo was among individuals involved with NGO Tindak Malaysia to train new PACA recruits, and in GE14 served in Seremban for Anthony Loke, now the transport minister.
Looking back, Soo said she was happy with the change in government, but not with its subsequent policy U-turns.
"Of course, I’m not happy to see it, but at the same time, they (Harapan) need to convince their opponents and let them know clearly before doing anything.
"We all see how critics could manipulate a group of people to come out and rally against a policy. So, if the government implements something without taking into account the people's concerns, they will trigger a conflict,” said Soo, who personally expressed unhappiness with the government’s handling of the United Examination Certificate (UEC) issue.
And contrary to Harapan’s campaign against the GST, Soo said she preferred that tax over the present SST system.
Overall, she noted that the change in government had resulted in reforms of key institutions, including the Election Commission and the police, and for its more transparent and open approach when dealing with civil society groups.
“So far, although there were some U-turns or whatever, I am willing to give them more time. If they are really not doing well, we can change them again,” she said adding that the initial push against BN was necessary to trigger the ongoing reforms.
Soo also noted that Harapan could have carried out more engagements in the rural areas, particularly for their more “idealistic” reforms, including the controversial ratification of various human rights conventions.
Former student activist, Anis Syafiqah Mohd Yusof
Anis Syafiqah was just an “ordinary student” back in 2016 when she made the headlines after leading the Tangkap MO1 movement. 'MO1' at that time was a code name for former prime minister Najib Abdul Razak, which was coined by the US Department of Justice in its civil suit to recover nearly US$1 billion in 1MDB-linked assets.
Along with other student activists, members of the Tangkap MO1 movement held a rally in Kuala Lumpur and mounted a series of protests against the inaction by authorities under then BN rule against the 1MDB scandal. Many of them were in turn subjected to disciplinary action or police probes.
The students were also recognised as voices critical of Harapan's move to name Mahathir as its choice for prime minister.
After one year of Mahathir's second stint as prime minister, Anis conceded there has been progress by his new cabinet although they were faced with a different set of challenges brought on by higher expectations from the people.
“The government’s successes include a push for change but they have also failed as some of their principles are now different from when they were in the opposition.
“They have also failed at countering propaganda by the present opposition,” said Anis who is now a teacher after graduating from Universiti Malaya.
Like the others, the mother of one also has no regrets about the change in government, describing the past year as a starting point for further reforms.
'ZD', a former Umno supporter
With an 82 percent voter turnout at end of polling day last May 9, it was widely believed that Harapan had garnered a sizeable amount of fence-sitter voters as well as former BN supporters.
Not wishing to reveal his name, ‘ZD’, 29, told Malaysiakini he was a staunch supporter of Mahathir and Umno, having returned home from studying in Japan to vote for BN in the 13th general election. He said, in his opinion, the then Pakatan Rakyat opposition coalition did not seem like a viable contender for federal power.
However, after 2015, he said he became increasingly angered with the country’s administration under former prime minister Najib Abdul Razak as well as the “arrogance” and “thug culture” perpetuated by some Umno leaders.
“This is not the Umno that I knew and that I grew up with...” he said.
Despite the scrutiny on Harapan's allegedly unfulfilled promises, ZD claimed the issue was “irrelevant” and that voters were mainly driven by a desire for change.
“Out of 100 voters, I believe only 10 to 15 people really read the Harapan manifesto. We didn‘t vote because of the manifesto, so to me it is irrelevant,” he said.
On whether he would continue supporting Harapan in GE15, ZD said it would depend on the overall performance of the government as well as the opposition.
“It does not only depend only on this government as it also depends on who is the opposition. If it were still the current opposition members, then I will still vote for this government,” he said. - Mkini
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