Much has transpired since the March 8, 2008 political tsunami and much has been said of what is and what is to come. The question is, have we really done away with race-based governance and evolved into a people who have embraced a more ecumenical brand of politics?

Many rational Malaysians may agree that race-based politics is not really the issue here as ultimately we want a government that is just, fair, and upright, regardless of the brand of politics that happens to be the order of the day.

Has Anwar Ibrahim, the leader of Pakatan Rakyat satisfactorily addressed certain pressing issues such as the Bar Council's forum on conversion or something less highlighted such as the Lina Joy saga and the Subshini/Revathi cases? What is his stand on such matters?

It is no surprise that PR has yet or will not respond to such cases or take any stand so as to avoid upsetting the various factions that make up the opposition coalition who have inherently diametrically varying interests. In short, how is PR different from the BN that we revile?

One must not forget that Anwar was roped into Umno to give BN an ‘Islamic face’— to counter the challenges of PAS — in lieu of the inevitable forces of political Islam that requisite the establishment of Islamic institutions and practices in one form or another.

Anwar's fall from grace was a result of his own ambitious plans to usurp power and break the Mahathir mould. In short, he took a gamble and lost. No one is implying Anwar solicited all that befell him but all is fair in politics and that he was fully aware of his battles.

Let us also not forget that DAP was punished in the 1999 GE for ‘collaborating’ with PAS during the peak of the reformasi days. Likewise, the 2004 general election was a landslide victory that saw BN under Abdullah Ahmad Badawi receiving a decisive mandate after convincing promises of good governance and a departure from the Mahathir era.

Many are content to dismiss Dr Mahathir Mohamad as crass, chauvinistic, and Machiavellian in governing this nation of ours, but it will not be farfetched to assert that he was simply being what it takes to be where he was.

The good doctor was an opportunist in every sense of the word - he knew what was needed in his long rise to power - and he simply played his cards out well, as any skillful politician would do. Mahathir learned well from Dato' Onn Jaafar's ‘mistakes’ in pursuing multi-culturalism and thence charted out his course strategically albeit cunningly in his pursuit of political leadership.

No one can fault the man for having to pander to the whims of his support base that saw much of his political craft as playing to the gallery of race, ethnicity, and religion. It was strictly a leadership role to be assumed and not so much the character of the one who assumes that role.

Let us be clear on one thing, March 8 2008 was not quite the defining moment we Malaysians have been waiting for it was simply a knee-jerk reaction of what had taken place prior to the election season. The BN government made colossal blunders in dealing with certain grievances in such a high-handed manner.

The people were fed up with the powers-that-be and wanted change - any change - and hence the unprecedented opposition victory saw the light of day. This was unarguably classical political psychology at work that unfolded according to its causal theories.

Politics is a game of opportunism, the art of the possible, and works of perception. To believe that we have truly done away with race-based politics is naive, to say the least. It is fair to conclude that March 8 2008 was more of BN's loss rather that PR's gain, if one were to view such power shifts as purely a zero sum game.

Nevertheless, one can and should be elevated at the prospects of having a credible two-party system in Parliament to effectively keep in check all powers-that-be.

Let us also realise that there is nothing inherently flawed in maintaining a race-based political structure so long as justice, fairness, and righteousness prevail. This is not to endorse Umno's corrupt and skewed policies that favour one group and neglect another but to point out the various aspects of national policies that have over the years lost their intended noble objectives.

Many components of the social contract are clearly outdated and warrant a complete overhaul or should be scrapped altogether. However, this will require immense political will and will inevitably becomes a playing card in the power struggle within both the ruling and opposition camps.

Malaysians ought to break away from their puerility and childish simplicity to understand that race-based politics are here to stay, not so much because our politicians purpose so but because it is required of any political actor.

Race-based politics is simply a product brought about by the ‘demands’ of the socio-political ‘marketplace’ in which the most efficient and innovative ‘supplier’ will prosper.

This is by no means a justification or a whitewashing of all the atrocities committed in the name of national unity or the birthrights of the dominant group.

The constant power play that is predicated upon the shrewd pragmatism of realpolitik - of being able to satisfy a demand, however cannibalistic - is what defines the relevance of our political leadership and remains a staple of our political psyche.

Therefore my fellow Malaysians, where do we go from here?