I have been away from Malaysia for more than 30 years and have always adopted a sceptical stance on the doings of the prevailing powers that be.

I kept in close touch with developments in Malaysia, now being made even more convenient through the Internet. Recent changes which were not even remotely possible in the last 20 years or so include observing the following. These might be anecdotal but together they form a definite discernable pattern towards democratisation.

Allowing a site like malaysiakini and other publications which share alternative political views to operate was unheard of or even imaginable in years past. Dr Mahathir Mohamad and his government might have lapses, such as the usual tendency of invoking the 'foreign bogeyman' whenever things go wrong.

Also, the alleged 'cronyism' is pervasive worldwide. For instance, George W Bush has been accused in the US media of being 'flip-flop' by going back on his campaign promises on the environment in giving in to his coal-mining and oil industry buddies. Previously set-aside national parks and wildlife reserves are now 'open season' for the oil drillers and coal miners, not to mention withdrawing the US from the Kyoto Accords.

Compared with the despots in Burma and the ongoing parade of ever-changing leadership in some Asean countries, Mahathir comes out quite substantial. Recent comments by him include his admiration of Tunku Abdul Rahman Al-Haj as the greatest Malaysian leader. It is this firm commitment to continuing the Tunku's moderate and sensible formula of power-sharing among the races that ensured Malaysia's relative peace and stability. Contrast this to the communal blood-letting in Indonesia.

Other promising trends include the government allowing the formation of a human rights commission, the impending public disclosure of a report on the recent KL clashes, the airing of misdeeds by important Umno officials, the willingness to accept currency swaps proposed by the IMF, moves towards warming relations with Singapore, the emphasis on attacking urban poverty as opposed to mega-projects, all point towards a pattern of increasing openness and liberalisation.

Although the challenges are still many, Malaysia has definitely progressed along the path of political maturity.