The Day Pak Lah Finally Hears!

Iqbal Abd Ghaffar

Pak Lah’s decision to not contest the upcoming UMNO elections is seen as long past due his expiry date. Up to March 2009, his shelf life would been far shorter than any Prime Ministers of Malaysia, lasting for only five years and five months losing only to Tun Hussein Onn by a month.

His decision not to step down as UMNO president in effect letting go the no.1 job in Malaysia couldn’t have come at a much better time. It is without further elaboration, the best decision that he has made for the country!

Since 8th March, Malaysia has experienced unprecedented amounts of political turmoil. The infighting among BN parties coupled with a surging opposition front led by Anwar Ibrahim has taken a toll on Abdullah’s focus on governing and steering the country out of a global recession. His indecisiveness and unwillingness to listen to the rakyat and his party members has taken a toll on the country’s image as a safe and stable haven for investors. International investor rating agencies have equated Malaysia to that of a third world pariah state.

And so it was expected of him to resign, to save the country from further turmoil and to save his party from a split that could further weaken and divide the Malays and the BN coalition.

This was resonated in his speech he delivered after a Barisan Nasional Supreme Council meeting at the Putra World Trade Centre here on Wednesday, “I do not want a divided party, or a divided government.”

With this decision, it will at least provide some relief and stability to the country.

The question that still lingers is, how will he deliver his reforms that he had promised in 2004? If he had problems working on it for the past 5 years, what gives him the surety that it will be delivered in the next 5 months?

One thing is for certain though, as an outgoing Prime Minister he has nothing to lose. His push of reforms and change however upsetting it may be to his party and government institutions will be off little damage to him. It’s of utmost important that he sets out to achieve his promises to leave a legacy for the country after serving the public sector for 45 years.

But the even bigger question remains, is Najib the best man for the top job as he has been accused of being involved in several high profile cases. Is there not any other leader who is capable to reconcile and unite the country at a time when political turmoil and uncertainty would still linger? Is there anyone that stands above partisan politics, who shows a keen interest on the nation as a whole and is acceptable by all Malaysians? Perhaps a soft hearted prince may be the answer.

IAG