PUTRAJAYA, 22 April — Malaysia can become a model of democracy due to the smooth transition of power following the 14th general election (GE14), said Foreign Minister Datuk Saifuddin Abdullah.

Saifuddin said after the polls, Malaysia has proven itself to be at par with other nations that are serious in fighting for democracy

"The rise of the rakyat in GE14 shows that it can be done safely and government transitions can happen smoothly as well.

He said when people discuss Islam and democracy, they would bring up countries like Pakistan, Tunisia, Indonesia and Turkey as examples but not Malaysia.

"We say that Malaysia also has experience as an Islamic nation that practices democracy well,” he told the press in conjunction with Pakatan Harapan’s (PH) first-anniversary celebration at Wisma Putra here today.

In a stunning victory that made political history, the Pakatan Harapan (PH) coalition became the ruling government after GE14.

PH’s victory ended the rule of Barisan Nasional (BN), which has dominated Malaysian politics for 60-years.