With due respect to Penan (' Pak Lah will lose war against corruption ' ), I find it incredulous that there is such high expectation in the fight against corruption. The truth is whether the fight against corruption succeed or not does not depend on Prime Minister Abdullah Ahmad Badawi. It depends on a multitude of factors starting from each and every Malaysian own apathy.

We would like our political leaders to do amazing feats and have the answer to all our problems but the truth is that political leaders disappoints more than they deliver. The best that one can hope for from a political leader is that he does not get too much wrong. If he gets one amazing thing right, he is heroic in proportion. In that sense, Pak Lah is already a hero.

Unlike the Mahathir administration which has succeeded by giving excuses, dividing the nation and exploiting the spoils of the country, Pak Lah, in a short span of 100 days has encapsulated what a realistic Malaysian ideal can be - self-reliance, high ethical standards, moderation and performance.

Pak Lah may say there is no new vision, but to me, he already has started it. Pak Lah's vision is clearly that there will be no New Economic Policy, no subsidised industry, no change in the federal constitution, a more balance judiciary, a clean civil service. He is willing to fight for it but he has made it clear that he can only succeed if we all are willing to fight for it too.

Is Pak Lah then unrealistic or just going through election gimmick? As Penan pointed out, there are already warlords who are waiting to trip him and topple him if he goes too far.

Critics are speculating that those brought to trial will not be found guilty and those bigger fish like former premier Mahathir Mohamad and ex-Finance Minister Daim Zainuddin will not be prosecuted.

It clearly shows how unsophisticated and unrealistic expectation are. Pak Lah administration can only realistically hope to change the direction we were going under the Mahathir administration.

If we can just get ministers who do not have offshore bank accounts, a civil service that delivers instead of being rude, and businessmen who do not literally rob the government and the people, then Pak Lah's achievement would be unprecedented in any country.

The rest depends on those who follow him and ultimately most Malaysians. Do not hope for any change with the Internal Security Act or quick changes to the judiciary or prosecution of Mahathir or the release of Anwar Ibrahim. These are unrealistic goals even if Pak Lah hangs around for another 20 years.

My bet is this: a few will go to jail because otherwise Pak Lah will lose all credibility if there is none. My advice to the former Land and Cooperative Development Minister Kasitah Gaddam : get your favourite toothbrush ready. Will the bigger fish get away?

In the foreseeable future, its unrealistic to expect them to be caught. Our autocratic political system means those at the very top are smart enough to cover their tracks well.

As far as the bigger fish are concerned, the best we can realistically hope for is that there will not be any more new big fish. I am more willing to bet that there will very much fewer new billionaires in the next decade. If we are lucky and Pak Lah is around in 2020, we at best can hope for the beginning of the end to the NEP/NDP.

As far as I am concerned, Pak Lah already has done his part to start the course going and he has more than proven that he is realistic to see it through. What is heroic about what he has done is that he started it at all because he knows the risk of failure. His idealism in a world of cynical realism is not futile, but absolutely necessary.

Those who support Anwar should support him, those who are against Dr M should support him, those who deride PAS religious extremism should support him, those who cite ineffective opposition should support him.

Think of it this way, what does it mean if Pak Lah fails? It means our system is too corrupt and broken to be fixed by reasonably good men or women, and the only realistic option is to take to the streets and tear things down at some point. How many of us wants that?

Otherwise, we should just get behind the man and tear down those who stand in his way now and in the next decade or so.