We live in interesting times. Never before has the ruling Barisan Nasional regime been given such a jolt as in the 12th general elections. The country stands on the brink of leadership change and even a possible transition of power.

Hopes that the BN government will change its ways to be more people-centric and reform- minded are evaporating. Tainted politicians have been brought into the cabinet, judicial reforms appear stalemated and ACA reforms are weak and largely meaningless. There is no sign of the Independent Police Complaints and Misconduct Commission (IPCMC) and not a single oppressive law has been repealed.

On the economy, the government has jacked up oil prices while failing to account for a boom in Petronas profits. Electricity tariffs have been increased and the price of food, goods and services will soon follow in tandem making life harder for many Malaysians.

It is clear that the besieged prime minister has no political strength to push through social reforms and his successor-in-waiting has no stomach for them. The culture of Umno is so rooted in patronage that eliminating corruption, favouritism, nepotism and rent-seeking is next to impossible.

In these tumultuous times, many Malaysians turn to Anwar Ibrahim and his Pakatan Rakyat coalition. They look at their pledges and promises and dare to hope for a better government which will tackle the cost of living, plug wastage, fight corruption, carry out social reforms, stimulate economic revival, treat all races fairly and make Malaysia a better place to live.

It will be a new dawn for Malaysia, so the tag line goes. But can we trust Anwar Ibrahim and his nascent coalition which the ruling party has derided as fragile and guilty of making unreasonable promises?

Let me tackle the promises first. The most derided one is the promise to reduce oil prices if PR comes to power.

On the face of it, it looks suicidal as world oil prices are breaching new heights. But we must remember that so are Petronas profits which provide a natural counterpoint. A more equitable plough back of the extra profits to subsidise oil price is not unreasonable instead of treating the two issues as separate matters.

As for the argument that Petronas profits are needed for development, this is weak as the present regime is famous for pushing through mega-projects of dubious economic sense, huge bailouts, unreasonable compensation to private corporations and dubious multi-million commissions to middlemen who do not add value.

Multi-billion ringgit projects are handed out without any open tender resulting in poor value for public funds. Plugging such leakages will free up more funds for development.

But in the long term, the real income of Malaysians must be raised by economic stimulation and appreciation of the ringgit. Malaysians are actually bearing the brunt of stagnated and depreciated incomes and a grossly inequitable ddistribution of wealth due to decades of economic abuses, not inflation per se.

All these will come with good governance. But is PR up to it? This remains to be seen, but I will try to show that it is easier for PR to turn the tide while for BN, it is very difficult.

PR has also promised an end to racist policies and to provide fair treatment for all races. This is vitally important for the nation but is something which Umno cannot or will not do. PR has suffered little political liability among the Malays by espousing fair treatment of all races leading credence to the view that Ketuanan Melayu and Malay special rights are the obsession of Umno politicians rather than ordinary Malays.

It is racial policies which have divided the nation, led to the flight of human capital and held back Malaysia’s competitiveness. An end to such policies will allow the nation to achieve its full potential.

On social issues, we must be aware that the use of oppressive laws and the subjugation of democratic institutions such as the police, ACA, judiciary, attorney-general and the press are the hallmarks of a regime which has lost its popularity and bent on clinging onto power.

PR will have more political will to repeal such laws and repair all democratic institutions which provide checks and balances as a popular government does not need the tools of dictatorship. Furthermore, it will be to PR’s interest to do so as they may be at the receiving end in the future!

On another note, much has been made of PR’s supposed fragility. Disagreements and

bickering are played up by the mainstream media as ‘cracks’ which will tear the coalition apart. We must remember that PR is a coalition of real equals unlike BN with one dominant party calling the shots to a host of subservient ones.

Disagreements are a healthy sign of democracy at work and do not mean the worse is going to happen.

PAS’ Islamic agenda has been frequently played up and used as a wedge to split the coalition. But the BN government has been guilty of many religious excesses as well. My question to the minorities is, which do you trust more - MCA and MIC to protect your religious rights against Umno or DAP and PKR to keep PAS in check?

Another charge levied at PR is that there is no capable leader to replace Anwar and what would happen if anything should happen to him. The same charge can be levied at BN where capable and creditable leaders who enjoy widespread public confidence are short on the ground. Natural leaders with charisma are born rather than groomed and they are rare indeed. Let us take what we have now and see what comes next.

Some have expressed misgivings about the man himself. They say that he was part of the rotten system and was responsible for implementing some bad policies. His Islamic radical leanings in his youth has also been trotted out.

But we must remember that Anwar was part of a system which brooked no dissent. The fact that he was sacked shows that he was not really part of them. As for his character, is it fair to judge a person by what he was 20 or 30 years ago?

In retrospect, we can see that many pressing issues that bedevil the nation are very difficult for BN to change due to the structure and culture of the dominant party. Umno is too rooted in patronage to fight corruption, too mired in Malay hegemony to treat all races fairly and too afraid of losing power to execute any meaningful social reforms. By contrast, Pakatan Rakyat is a breath of fresh air without the chains and shackles of the old power structure.

Malaysians should cast aside their uncertainties and give Pakatan Rakyat a chance. From the way the country is run now, we can hardly do worse.

There is one additional safeguard. We can vote PR out if they do not perform while the same cannot be said of BN. Umno considers it its birthright to rule Malaysia and will use whatever machinations necessary to maintain that supposed right. The party has been caught flat-footed and is now racked with internal power struggle but will soon find its footing.

The window of opportunity for a transfer of power may not remain open for long. If PR does not seize power by defections soon, then they must win power in the next general elections.

Otherwise the window of opportunity will close and we will look back at 2008 with regret and yearning, not just with pangs of lost opportunity but also because it reminds us of our lost future.