Kuala Lampur, Aug. 1 -- Every election eventually comes to an end. Campaigns cease, banners are removed, victory speeches conclude, and defeated candidates return home.

Yet democracy does not end when the ballots are counted. In many ways, it only begins.

The true test of democracy is not whether elections are conducted peacefully, but whether those who lose are prepared to accept the verdict of the people with dignity, while those who win exercise power with humility.

That is the democratic maturity Malaysia must continue to cultivate as the Negeri Sembilan election passes into history.

Regardless of which coalition forms the state government, Malaysia cannot afford to remain trapped in perpetual election mode.

The nation faces chal...