Friday August 1, 2008

Pak Lah should do more to restore confidence

COMMENT
By V.K. CHIN

THOUGH Datuk Seri Abdullah Ahmad Badawi’s decision to retire as Prime Minister was expected, it has still come as a shock that he will retire in two years’ time.

Pak Lah will hand over both the Umno presidency and government leader’s post to his deputy Datuk Seri Najib Tun Razak in mid 2010. The announcement should stop any further speculation on this topic.

However, the latest development will have many ramifications and instead of restoring party unity may lead instead to a scramble for the other top posts in the party, namely, the deputy president and three vice-presidents.

This is to be expected though both Pak Lah and Najib will have sufficient time to work things out. In order for the fight for such positions to not get out of hand, there will have to be very close consultations in the supreme council and among members to ensure a peaceful transfer of power.

Pak Lah’s early departure is to take responsibility for the poor showing in the 2008 general elections when Barisan Nasional lost its two-thirds majority in parliament and the state governments of Kedah, Penang, Perak and Selangor.

There is also public dissatisfaction over his handling of several key issues, such as improving delivery of service by government departments, tackling corruption or reforming the judiciary.

Basically, people expected him to act decisively on dealing with major issues facing the nation after Barisan received the biggest electoral mandate in the 2004 general election.

There was also the perception that his leadership was weak compared with that of his predecessor Tun Dr Mahathir Mohamad. However, the comparison was unfair since their styles were so different.

Pak Lah believes in giving people the freedom to carry on with the task entrusted to them. He has turned Malaysia into a more liberal society where people can voice their views on any issue other than those likely to create racial or religious tension.

But the irony is that with this sudden dose of freedom, some quarters had gone overboard in their views and actions and there was the perception that he was not in full control.

After 22 years of rigid rule under the Mahathir administration, some had taken advantage of this development and created many political, social and security problems.

It is unfair that he should bear the blame on his own since Umno and Barisan have always believed in collective leadership. But that is the price one has to pay for any setback.

Pak Lah should spend the next two years trying to put things right before the handover. It is regrettable that despite this announcement, there are still attempts to force him to leave earlier.

The pressure will now be on Najib, who has been under attack aimed at undermining his political and personal credibility and integrity.

Perhaps the most daunting task facing Pak Lah is how to reform Umno and to strengthen it to face future challenges. This will have to be done at the grassroots level, with new division leaders capable of winning the confidence of the people.

The old line-up cannot be used for the next general election, which will be crucial for Umno and Barisan. They would have to be replaced by more dynamic, vigorous and capable leaders as part of the rejuvenation process.

The deck should be cleared so that Najib would not be burdened with this political baggage since he would need to concentrate on major issues such as improving the people’s standard of living, racial and religious harmony, equality, security and stability.