Unlikely Champion of Democracy Rises in a Region of Strongmen

The story line is a familiar one these days: A populist strongman with a long record of racially divisive commentary prevails in the polls.

如今，這種故事似曾相識：長期發表種族分裂言論的民粹主義強人受到人民歡迎。

But Mahathir Mohamad, who was sworn in as prime minister of Malaysia on Thursday, was not swept to power by the kind of nationalist demagoguery that has captivated electorates in places like Hungary, India and the Philippines.

但周四宣誓就任馬來西亞總理的馬哈蒂爾·默罕默德和匈牙利、印度和菲律賓等地的領導人不同，他不是靠民族主義煽動言辭吸引選民而獲得權力的。

Instead, Mr. Mahathir was at the head of a multiethnic opposition that ousted a government long dependent on stoking the fears of Malaysia』s Malay Muslim majority to prolong its grip on power. That Mr. Mahathir, 92, had for decades toughened the network of race and patronage that contributed to Malaysia』s political sclerosis is just one of the many surprises of the national elections on Wednesday.

相反，馬哈蒂爾先生領導了一個代表多種族利益的反對派，反對派推翻了一直依靠煽動馬來西亞占多數的馬來族穆斯林的恐懼來維持權力的政府。92歲的馬哈蒂爾先生幾十年來一向鞏固一個基於種族和派系的網路，造成馬來西亞政治僵化，這尤其讓周三的全國大選中讓人吃驚。

「It has produced a multiracial — not Malay or Chinese — tsunami of protest against the corruption, economic mismanagement and abuse of political power,」 said Lim Teck Ghee, a public policy analyst and author of the book 「Challenging the Status Quo in Malaysia.」 「It has avoided racial and religious rancor and acrimony, which would have left a contentious and dangerous aftermath.」

「選舉產生了一個多種族的抗議風暴，而不是馬來人或華人的，反對腐敗，反對經濟管理不善，反對濫用政治權力，」政策分析師、《挑戰馬來西亞現狀》一書作者林德義說。「這避免了種族和宗教的怨恨和齟齬，沒有造成爭議與危險重重的後果。」

Few people expected Mr. Mahathir』s opposition coalition, Pakatan Harapan — an unwieldy collection of reformists, nationalists, Islamists, ethnic minorities and former enemies of Mr. Mahathir — to hold together, much less shatter an entrenched political system that has held sway in Malaysia since independence from Britain in 1957.

沒人能料到馬哈蒂爾的反對派聯盟「希望聯盟」能走到一起——聯盟龐雜地集合了改革派、民族主義者、伊斯蘭主義者、少數民族和馬哈蒂爾曾經的敵人——更別提能擊敗一個自1957年從英國獨立出來以後就在馬來西亞呼風喚雨且根深蒂固的政治體制。

But Mr. Mahathir, who now ranks as the world』s oldest serving prime minister, has long been adept at staging unlikely political plot twists. And the voter outrage that fueled his comeback is a burst of hope in Southeast Asia, where democracy has ebbed in the face of populist autocrats.

但馬哈蒂爾先生，如今是世界上年紀最大的在任總理，一貫擅長讓政壇發生反轉，推動他重歸的選民憤怒是東南亞爆發的希望，民粹主義專制者當道之時，民主復甦了。

「After independence, this is probably the most important occasion in our political history,」 said Wan Saiful Wan Jan, a longtime political analyst who ran unsuccessfully for Parliament in this election. 「It paves the way for political competition.」

「獨立後，這可能是我們政治歷史上最重要的時刻，」選舉中競選議員未果的資深政治分析師旺賽夫說。「這為政治競爭鋪平了道路。」

Although people-power revolutions late in the last century resulted in the overthrow of dictators like Ferdinand Marcos of the Philippines and Suharto of Indonesia, strongman rule has returned in force to Southeast Asia.

儘管上世紀末的人民權力革命推翻了菲律賓獨裁者費迪南德·馬可仕和印尼的蘇哈托，強人統治又在東南亞復甦了。

President Rodrigo Duterte has kick-started a drug war in the Philippines that has killed thousands, while Prime Minister Hun Sen has systematically destroyed even the semblance of a political opposition in Cambodia. Thailand has reverted to military rule, with elections repeatedly postponed. Generals in Myanmar continue to call the shots as they have unleashed a campaign of ethnic cleansing. Brunei remains an isolated sultanate.

菲律賓總統羅德里格·杜特爾特在菲律賓開展禁毒戰，成千上萬人死亡，總理洪森在柬埔寨系統性地摧毀只是有點苗頭的政治反對派。泰國回歸了軍政府，選舉多次暫停。緬甸的將軍繼續頤指氣使，發動了種族清洗。汶萊依然是我行我素的蘇丹國。

At one time, Mr. Mahathir might have been more suited to the hall of infamy that included Asia』s despots and junta chiefs. During his years as prime minister from 1981 to 2003, Mr. Mahathir muzzled the media, jailed his opponents on what were seen as trumped-up charges and turned a blind eye as leaders of the governing National Front coalition personally profited from their political positions. His virulent Malay nationalism alienated Malaysia』s sizable Chinese and Indian minorities.

馬哈蒂爾一度更適合進入亞洲暴君和軍政府名人堂。他1981年到2003年擔任總理期間，曾壓制媒體，以莫須有的罪名將反對者送進監獄，對執政的國民陣線聯盟領導人以權謀私視而不見。他的馬來民族主義惡政讓大量馬來西亞華人和印度少數族裔離心離德。

In this week』s elections, Mr. Mahathir delivered Malaysia』s first post-ethnic vote, attracting Malaysians of all backgrounds to the opposition.

本周選舉中，馬哈蒂爾先生推行了馬來西亞第一次後種族主義選舉，把各色馬來西亞人都吸引到反對派麾下。

「We』ve talked so long about different categories of Malaysians, all these boxes of people,」 said Fahmi Fadzil, who won a parliamentary seat for the opposition People』s Justice Party despite extensive government gerrymandering in his district. 「This election is about uniting us, not dividing us.」

「我們和各個馬來西亞派別的所有人深入交談，」儘管分區混雜卻依然為反對派人民正義黨贏下一個議員席位的法米說。「這次選舉將我們聯合起來，而不是分裂。」

Even some of his fiercest enemies have come to see Mr. Mahathir in a different light.

連一些最頑固的敵人都以不同的眼光看待馬哈蒂爾了。

「I trust him today because at this time and age, he is more interested in leaving the right legacy for Malaysians and to set his record right in the history books,」 said Tony Pua, an opposition member of Parliament who was re-elected Wednesday with a record number of votes. 「If wealth and power were his ambitions, there are much easier routes he could have taken.」

「今天我信任他，因為到了這個年紀，他更想為馬來西亞人留下正義的遺產，在歷史書中為自己正名，」周三以大量選票當選的反對黨議員潘儉偉說。「如果財富和權力是他的雄心壯志，他有更方便的路子。」

Still, Mr. Mahathir is an unlikely avatar of democracy, particularly one in which diversity is championed.

馬哈蒂爾成為民主的化身，尤其還主張多樣性，這讓人沒有料到。

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.

把馬哈蒂爾的「希望聯盟」聯合起來的最主要原因是對納吉布的反感，他被控當總理九年來貪得無厭，拿錢手軟。

Mr. Najib, once Mr. Mahathir』s protégé, stands accused of diverting $731 million from a state investment fund he controlled into his own bank accounts. His own government had cleared him of any wrongdoing. But Mr. Mahathir said after the vote that Mr. Najib would have to face the consequences.

納吉布曾是馬哈蒂爾提拔上來的，他被控將自己控制的7.31億美元國家投資基金轉入自己的銀行賬戶。他的政府把他洗得乾乾淨淨，但馬哈蒂爾先生在投票後說，納吉布必須承擔後果。

「Our intention is to go for people who have shown a tendency to be corrupt,」 Mr. Mahathir said Friday.

「我們的目的是抓住那些要搞腐敗的人，」馬哈蒂爾周五說。

During his earlier stint as prime minister, Mr. Mahathir perpetuated an affirmative action scheme for Malays that was designed to erase the long years of discrimination under British colonial rule. The policy gave 「sons of the soil,」 as Malays and indigenous people are known, preferential treatment in education and employment. Most civil service jobs went to Malays.

早年間擔任總理時，馬哈蒂爾推行一項馬來人平權計劃，旨在消除英國殖民統治下多年的歧視。這一政策給「這片土地的兒女們」受教育和找工作的優惠待遇，這些人指馬來人和土著人。多數公務員崗位給了馬來人。

But as Malaysia developed into a middle-income country, members of the Chinese and Indian communities wondered why so much of the economy was reserved for Malays. Others worried that affirmative action was making Malays complacent and unable to compete in a free market. A brain drain of talented Chinese and Indians robbed the country of some of its best talent.

但隨著馬來西亞成為中等收入國家，華人和印度人不明白為什麼很多經濟機會要留給馬來人。也有人擔憂平權行動讓馬來人高高在上，無法在自由市場中參與競爭。有能力的華人和印度人流失了，他們本是這個國家最優秀的人才。

Mr. Mahathir』s enduring charisma and rapier speech energized the opposition, all the more so given his advanced age. During the campaign, he avoided the language of Malay superiority. At news conferences, he joked with reporters and teased opposition figures who had been political prisoners under his tenure.

Yet his decades of intolerant sentiments have left some wary.

馬哈蒂爾長期的領導魅力和機敏的演講鼓舞了反對派，他一把年紀更讓人感動。選戰中，他不提馬來高人一等這種話。在新聞發布會上，他同記者開玩笑，與曾在他統治期間成為政治犯的反對派打趣。可他幾十年來的不容人的性格還是讓有些人提防。

「Where some see sharp wit, I see red flags that the old Mahathir is still recognizable under it all,」 said Lainie Yeoh, a marketing director in Kuala Lumpur, the capital.

「有人覺得他機智，我卻發現老馬哈蒂爾改不掉的那些危險性，」首都吉隆坡的一個營銷總監拉尼·楊說。

Perhaps the most significant measure of the new Mahathir is his announcement Friday that Malaysia』s king, Sultan Muhammad V, will pardon the former opposition leader Anwar Ibrahim, who is serving a prison sentence for sodomy that many saw as politically motivated. A pardon could set the stage for Mr. Anwar to succeed Mr. Mahathir as prime minister.

可能新人馬哈蒂爾最重要的措施是周五宣布馬來西亞國王穆哈邁德五世蘇丹將赦免前反對派領導人安瓦爾·伊布拉欣，他因雞姦罪而被投入監牢，許多人認為這是政治迫害。赦免為安瓦爾接替馬哈蒂爾擔任總理鋪平道路。

「Malaysians have gone through such a painful time,」 said Mr. Anwar』s daughter Nurul Izzah Anwar, who was re-elected to Parliament. 「Anwar Ibrahim has gone through so much. Now we need to show that we will reject the divisiveness of the past and embrace inclusiveness for all Malaysians.

「馬來西亞人經歷了一個痛苦的時代，」安瓦爾的女兒、再次當選議員的努魯依莎·安瓦爾說。「安瓦爾·伊布拉欣受罪最多，現在我們要表明我們拒絕分裂的過去，擁抱包容全馬來西亞人的未來。」

「We』re supposed to be a democracy. Let』s act that way.」

「我們要成為一個民主國家，行動起來吧。」