Ku Li for No 1, Zaid for No 2

Ku Li for No 1, Zaid for No 2, Malaysaikini

Sayyed Alif Khan | Mar 19, 09 4:33pm

I refer to the Malaysiakini report Don't appoint Najib as new premier. The first quarter of 2009 has brought to the fore front the painful truth and that is where does this country stand as a nation? Many say that Pak Lah is an inefficient leader to which I disagree. Pak Lah has given the rakyat the opportunity to see the ‘truth’, and. yes. it is ugly. The bearer of truth is almost always not popular and welcomed. What we, the rakyat, as always, want to see is money growing from all the trees of the land and this is what was being delivered by the previous leadership, though not from all the trees, but only from a few trees. The question is, at what price? Today we see the ‘price’. In his own right, Pak Lah has been brave and radical. He chose to walk the path of integrity and morals, which is not far from what the teh tarik soothsayers prophesied when he was lined up to take the prime minister’s chair. Today, it is anyone’s guess as to what is on Pak Lah's mind and agenda. Will he retire as intended or will he stay on since the prevailing situation demands it, like what his predecessor did. The succession of his successor is going through a fair amount of turbulence and this is not mere teh tarik speculation. Is there an alternative to the situation? Yes, as radical as it may sound, this is something worth considering seriously. Tengku Razaleigh Hamzah as prime minister and Zaid Ibrahim as the No 2. The former is a time-tested politician who has displayed statesmanship qualities. One example of this was that he fought a fierce battle within Umno and when he found that he was not making any headway, he left with his supporters and formed Semangat 46 to continue the fight. And fight vigorously he did. When he realised it was time to unite, he disbanded Semangat 46 and returned home to Umno. This is true statesmanship and a statesman is one this nation needs now - not a politician to lead. Zaid Ibrahim, comes across as a Mahathir Mohamad. The latter got sacked from Umno and later was accepted back and went on to become prime minister. Both are strong personalities in their own right. Zaid has been sacked from Umno and who knows, it could be time for him to be accepted back. He resigned from his minister’s post not because he was sacked but because he was a principled politician and public servant. This again is a rare quality, a quality which will uphold a statesman. Thus far, he comes across as a person with a 20/20 vision, though he needs spectacles to get him by. All the leaders of this country were statesmen in their own right and statesmanship is what we need to move forward as a respectable nation.