MP SPEAKS | Twenty-five years ago, on April 4, 1999, the Parti Keadilan Nasional was formed to provide a political platform to the Reformasi movement that had been born mere months before.

There was a lot of excitement, but also uncertainty. While Reformasi had a profound impact on national discourse, few believed that multiracial politics stood a chance in Malaysia, particularly with the Malay electorate.

Umno’s founding president Onn Jaafar attempted to form a multiracial Independence of Malaya Party in 1951...