IUSY celebrates the victory of the Democratic Action Party (DAP) as their coalition Pakatan Harapan (Alliance of Hope) overwhelmingly won the government in their recent elections. Their coalition’s victory in Malaysia saw the rejection of Barisan Nasional’s 61-year authoritarian rule.

The victory of DAP with Pakatan Harapan is a long struggle in a terrain marred by gerrymandering, state repression and harassment. But DAP and Pakatan Harapan soldiered on and ran on a campaign of hope. Their campaign, powered by people of different genders, ages and ethnic groups, saw a surge of people going out to the polls to reject the era of corruption by Prime Minister Najib Razak.

The victory of the people of Malaysia is a bright spark in the region that could inspire more progressive parties in Asia to seize power in their elections. The work ahead for DAP in Pakatan Harapan will be challenging as they prosecute those involved in the 1MDB scandal and probe all anomalies under the previous regime. May this electoral victory in Malaysia open up a new era built on justice, freedom and solidarity in Asia.