Malaysians celebrating Pakatan Harapan's historic electoral victory that was underpinned by a large swing in the Malay votes. — Reuters pic

KUALA LUMPUR, May 13 — Malaysia must still be in shock over what happened on May 10, when the dream — one it almost did not dare dream for fear of yet another heartbreak — became reality.

In these heady days when the dust is still to settle and adrenaline yet to subside, there are already clear lessons to be taken from the 14th general election and its outcome.

Here are the three things we have learned so far.

May 13 is finally exorcised

It is apt that May 9 and 10 not only allowed Malaysians to at last experience what it is like to change their government, but it also finally permitted the country to exorcise a spectre older even than the Barisan Nasional thrown out this week.

Yes, the streets were empty in the wee hours of Thursday and the usual warnings for Malaysians to “stay at home, stock up on food, don’t go out” kept spreading, but the beautiful thing was so were the quick and decisive action by authorities to assure the country that no, there were not and will not be riots.

May 13, 1969 may have been nearly 50 years ago, but it continued to cast a pall over the country in all that time, perpetuated in no small measure by the people for whom fear of the country’s bloodiest and deadliest riots was oh-so-useful.

No more. On May 10, power changed hands not with the shedding of blood, but tears. Tears of joy and relief, of hope and disbelief.

Malaysia remembers May 13. We always will. But we must never allow anyone to use it to menace us again.

Barisan Nasional and its parties may not survive

It is no embellishment to say Barisan Nasional and all its components are now like “kittens” out in the cold.

As the federal Opposition for the first time in their history, the coalition and its parties — which have only ever known a life of excess — will have no idea what it takes to operate on scarcity.

They don’t know what it is like not to be chauffeured around in government cars to party events.

They won’t understand why traffic will no longer part like the Red Sea as their convoy — previously replete with police outriders who shoo Malaysians to the side like so much pests — now tries to pass.

They will have no inkling why the government helicopter or plane is not there to fly them wherever and whenever they wish.

Most importantly, they have no idea what it is like to go to the public to plead, beg even, for both support and money for their cause. Even if they do, their pride might not allow it.

And it is because of these that the coalition and its parties might not survive their coming winter, a winter that will be as long and as bleak as they allow it to be.

Malaysians may wish this, or even celebrate it. But it is unwise because Barisan Nasional is now the only effective Opposition we have in the country and we logically need two parties for a two-party system.

Without it, we are forced to trust completely that the honesty, integrity and sense of fair play of those in power will be absolute. Dare we?

As it is, there is virtually no Opposition in Penang now. Pakatan Harapan swept 37 out of the state’s 40 seats and it is no exaggeration to say it can do as it pleases there.

That level of power, no matter in whose hands, is simply alarming.

So, we cannot allow Barisan Nasional to die, or at least not yet. They owe us at least this much to now serve as an effective watchdog and ensure the new government does not become what they once were, for it must also be in their interest not to let Pakatan Harapan grow so powerful as to be unbeatable.

Malaysia must never allow this government — or any government, for that matter — to become so entrenched, so powerful that it takes the entire country decades to vote it out.

Here comes the new boss, same like the old boss

You either die a hero or live long enough to become a villain.

Malaysia’s fourth and seventh prime ministers, both coincidentally named Tun Dr Mahathir Mohamad, added another twist to this in that if you live longer still, you get the chance to redeem yourself.

Malaysia must bear this in mind: This is Dr Mahathir’s chance to redeem himself for he has not done so yet.

He has apologised to some and said plenty of the right things, but we have not yet seen all those pledges come to pass.

For the next 100 days, in particular, and over the next five years, Malaysians must watch this administration like a hawk to ensure that it does not become like the very thing it will replace.

What demands this vigilance is the undeniable fact that many of the personalities now prominent in Pakatan Harapan are familiar faces who once adorned the Barisan Nasional of the past, even the very recent past.

Dr Mahathir joked repeatedly in his first press conference as returning PM that he was a “dictator”, but many a truth is told in jest.

He should not — and we must not — forget that one of those who once applied that label to him was Lim Kit Siang, his former nemesis now turned political ally.

Lim told us that he and his son forgive, but do not forget Dr Mahathir’s past deeds, and so also should we.

We are hoping that the leopard can change its spots. Maybe this one can and maybe it will, but we must not let our guard down in case it cannot.

Hope gave us this day and we must not lose sight of this. But we must never again allow ourselves to become complacent, to be easily lulled into the belief that the people we put in charge have our best interests — and only our best interests — at heart.

We can, of course, leave it all to fate, but it is infinitely more advisable to hold our government to account.

As the euphoria recedes, we still do not know where Malaysia will head.

We hope it will move forward, but it may not. Perchance it might slip sideways or it may not. But what is clear is that we should not let it fall backwards, for we must not.