Our prime minister is a reformer, whatever one may say about him. But he is only one man.

Umno has several reformist leaders but the vast majority of the party's members are hardliners. By hardliner I mean those who are authoritarian, or racial-minded.

Reformers can be picked to head government positions. They can also achieve positions in the party supreme council, too. But to win battles, they need the support of the hardliners.

This is what is happening to Pak Lah and his deputy, Najib Abdul Razak. Both of them are progressive leaders, but the hardliners who support them always exert pressure onto them.

The same thing happened with our former prime ministers. Tunku Abdul Rahman and Tun Hussein Onn who were forced out by these hardliners. Tun Abdul Razak also received a lot of pressure from these hardliners.

Dr Mahathir Mohamad courted the hardliners, and used them against Tunku and Hussein, but eventually a large number of them turned against him, and instead courted Anwar Ibrahim, who was himself a religious fundamentalist (as was Sanusi Junid, his friend turned foe in Abim).

I do not expect too much from our PM and DPM, but I pray that they will stand up to the hardliners of the party, and not be intimidated by them.