Although, perhaps understandably, given all the things going on in our country and the world right now, many may have let the day come and go unnoticed, we have just passed the 7th anniversary of the 9 May 2018 General Elections.

This was of course the first time that Malaysia saw a change of government at the federal level, with power transferring peacefully from the Barisan Nasional (BN) to Pakatan Harapan (PH) coalitions.

2018 was undoubtedly a banner year for Keadilan.

Despite all the setbacks and turmoil our party faced after the preceding 2013 General Elections—including the second jailing of Anwar Ibrahim and the break-up of Pakatan Rakyat (PR) alliance—we still managed to achieve our best performance to date, winning 47 parliamentary seats and polling more than 2 million votes.

State-wise, while also retaining Selangor and Penang, PH regained control of Perak and Kedah, as well as flipped Johor, Melaka and Negeri Sembilan. The last three were states that had never changed hands before and more sweetly still, Keadilan has provided the Menteri Besar for Negeri Sembilan to this day since then.

2018 was also the year I entered Parliament for the first time. Setiawangsa was also a seat that had never changed hands before that, but I was able to flip my predecessor’s 1,390 majority in 2013 for BN to a 14,372-majority gain for Keadilan and PH.

Keadilan also made inroads in indigenous seats in Sarawak, alongside our existing presence in urban areas in Borneo.

It is true the picture was not entirely rosy. PH failed to win a single seat in Kelantan and Terengganu in 2018. But the outcome, as a whole, was seismic and we arguably continue to live with the reverberations of that day to the present.

Where we are today

Malaysia and its politics have of course changed a lot since 2018. We have been through the Sheraton Move, Covid-19 and the even more epochal 2022 General Elections which saw the formation of the Madani government as well as Anwar finally become Prime Minister.

It is an exciting time for Keadilan, too. We are on the cusp of electing a new party leadership to serve alongside Anwar later this month. Looming beyond that are several state elections and the 16th General Elections.

Arching over all these domestic political concerns are also wider, even existential challenges like the ever-increasing threat of climate change, conflicts across multiple regions, the Trump “Liberation Day” tariffs with its geopolitical fallout, continued cost-of-living anxieties and ever-increasing social polarization globally.

I truly believe, with the right leadership as well as understanding of the reasons behind our past successes and shortcomings, that Keadilan can emerge victorious in the face of all these challenges.

The purpose of this piece is not to rehash past glories. But as that well-known line from George Santayana goes, “Those who cannot remember the past are condemned to repeat it.”

Keadilan cannot take for granted its core non-Malay and progressive Malay constituencies will remain loyal without addressing their concerns.

How did we succeed in 2018?

What I wish to do is to take 2018 as a case study of when Keadilan did its best. So how shall we understand it? Several points stand out.

First, I would argue that our victories were not just because of the 1MDB scandal or who our Prime Minister candidate was at the time.

Those may have been big factors, but there was arguably a genuine hunger for change on the ground. This was not only because of the various corruption or political controversies at that time but also because there was a desire for a new direction for the country.

We must believe that the desire for Reformasi among Malaysians is genuine and that it is a heartfelt rather than a transient trend.

Yes, reforms take time. Yes, they often must be sequenced. And yes, they take different shapes. But at the end of the day, ordinary Malaysians must see and believe that positive change is happening. They want to see it. They want to believe it.

It matters to them, especially voters who have backed Keadilan over the years. And so Keadilan—as the party of Reformasi—must be accountable for both its actions and omissions on this score, politically, administratively and economically.  

Second, our success in 2018 was an all-of-country effort. Keadilan, in particular, was propelled to power that year through an essentially progressive Malaysian voter core: Malays who had become disenchanted with the-then ruling coalition but also our traditional non-Malay base and those from Sabah and Sarawak.

Also, it was the fact that our party had a recognizable progressive Malay leadership which make Keadilan stand out. Our party’s brand of progressivism may be too much for some, or never enough for others.

But it has proven to work for the real Malaysia. In 2018, it gave confidence not only to urban liberal voters but also moderate Malay voters.

And so, this progressive, multiracial but also broad-based approach is something that we must hold on to. The voter base that we captured in 2018 is the kind of coalition that we must hold on to and seek to grow.

We cannot take for granted that the non-Malay and progressive Malay constituencies that have become our core vote will remain loyal without addressing their concerns. Nor should we assume that they will vote for us simply due to a lack of options as the opposition keeps making mistakes. This is irresponsible.

Integrity matters

The final point I want to make is that integrity matters. That, too, helped us greatly in 2018.

Malaysian voters must still believe Keadilan and PH are still fighting for integrity if we are to emerge victorious in the election challenges ahead.

People are often advised “to actually be, rather than just seem to be.” But in politics, especially in this 21st century where perception seems to be everything—both do matter.

Since 2018, PAS and PPBM have grown in influence not merely by playing on racial sentiments, but by appealing to Malay voters who are concerned about PH’s ability to address Malay issues while remaining anxious about corruption and integrity.

If we are to make inroads into these constituencies, we must address these issues not only through economic policies that benefit those groups, but also by showing our seriousness in issues of integrity.

We will not beat the race and religious-based parties by competing on identity politics.

Keadilan will have many major decisions to make ahead. I believe our members will make the right ones. It will not be easy, but we must make them for the future of Malaysia, to move it forward.

If we do, the promise and dreams of 2018 and 2022 will live on and indeed, finally come to fruition.

(NIK NAZMI NIK AHMAD is the defending his position for Vice President of Keadilan.)