At one time, Mr. Mahathir might have been more suited to the hall of infamy that included Asia’s despots and junta chiefs. In this week’s elections, Mr. Mahathir delivered Malaysia’s first post-ethnic vote, attracting Malaysians of all backgrounds to the opposition. “This election is about uniting us, not dividing us.”Even some of his fiercest enemies have come to see Mr. Mahathir in a different light. “If wealth and power were his ambitions, there are much easier routes he could have taken.”Still, Mr. Mahathir is an unlikely avatar of democracy, particularly one in which diversity is championed. More than anything, what bound Pakatan Harapan, Mr. Mahathir’s coalition, was revulsion for Mr. Najib, who has been tainted by accusations of immense greed and graft during his nine years as prime minister.

Source: New York Times May 11, 2018 10:59 UTC