As most analysts predicted, Barisan Nasional's electoral understanding with Perikatan Nasional helped it secure an even stronger mandate in the just-concluded Melaka election.
This election offers another illustration of how the political landscape has undergone considerable changes in recent years, with traditional rivalries increasingly giving way to political cooperation and coalition-building.
BN and PN setting aside their differences to contest under a common electoral arrangement would have been difficult to imagine when both coalitions were competing fiercely for political dominance.
The nation's increasingly fragmented political landscape in recent years has made such cooperation more important, even vital, for long-term national political stability.
