1. There was a strong swing among the Chinese to the Democratic Action Party (DAP), member of Pakatan Rakyat (PR). The urban Malays was more neutral while the rural Malays continued to give strong support to the Barisan National (BN).
2. This polarization along racial lines is not good for Malaysia. It is wise for the caretaker Prime Minister, Najib Razak to call for a period of reconciliation. He is moderate and reform minded and will be able to take Malaysia through a period of change.
3. The call by the former Prime Minister Mahathir Mohd at the last minute to the Malays to reject Party Islam (PAS) probably saved BN. He is clearly strategic in his thinking. This probably contributed to the surge in Malay support for the BN, instead of PAS, in the important rural areas in Perak, Kedah and Johore.
4. It is rather sad that Anwar Ibrahim's party, Partai Keadilan Rakyat (PKR), which is multi-racial in its approach, did not fare as well as it should in the rural areas. Several Chinese candidates stood on their platform, perhaps in the urban areas.
5. I am impressed with the performance of Anwar's daughter, Nurrul Izzah. I watched some of the Youtube videos of her speeches. She is truly an inspirational leader with clear ideas of what is good for the future of Malaysia. A commentator said that she is his favorite as a future Prime Minister of Malaysia. I share this view.
6. I am impressed with the campaign speeches of many candidates. They are able to relate well with the public and to mix Malay, English, Mandarin and dialect in the same speech. It goes will with a multi-racial audience.
7. Malaysians are way ahead of Singaporeans in politics and democracy. We have much to learn from them.
Tan Kin Lian
*The author is the former CEO of NTUC income and a presidential candidate for the republic of Singapore.