Kuala Lampur, July 29 -- Malaysia's constitutional system has survived because political competition has generally remained within the framework of parliamentary democracy.

Elections may be fiercely contested, governments may change and coalitions may rise and fall, but the Constitution has remained the final referee.

That is why Malaysians should remember one of the country's most consequential political episodes: the Kelantan constitutional crisis of 1977.

It demonstrated how quickly political disagreements can escalate into institutional confrontation when trust between political partners breaks down.

From the very beginning, Umno and PAS competed for the same Malay-Muslim electorate while offering different visions of leadership....