In a stunning upset, Malaysians dumped the ruling Barisan Nasional (BN) coalition out of power in Wednesday’s (May 9) election, ending an unbroken 61-year run in charge of the country in a decisive repudiation of Prime Minister Najib Razak’s policies, politics, and direction for the country.

Datuk Seri Najib has long been viewed by the Singapore Government as someone it could work with, and under his leadership, the prickly ties between the two neighbours became a thing of the past, replaced by a cooperative relationship that emphasised progress on both sides.

Dr Mahathir, however, is a different kettle of fish. He had a prickly relationship with Singapore during his 22-year tenure as Prime Minister, landing frequent jibes and even threats at the Republic, and presided over a period that has been described as an “era of confrontational diplomacy”.

“I think Singapore will need to brace itself for a new political configuration in Malaysia and recalibrate our policies on Malaysia especially with regards to some of the bilateral agreements that have been signed,” Dr Mohamed Nawab Mohamed Osman, Coordinator of Malaysia Programme at the S. Rajaratnam School of International Studies, told TODAY.

“We know that Dr Mahathir has been against these agreements and it is likely that the new government would be more reluctant to implement some of them.”