I refer to the letter by Hamid Zainal entitled Pak Lah must handle Umno hardliners and would like to state that although I fully agree with him, I must say that he was being too polite and apologetic.

We must appreciate the wisdom of Hussein Onn for having chosen Dr Mahathir Mohamad as his deputy although at that time, public expectation was that Ku Li would be the natural choice.

But he stood firm and made a choice that was all his own. Knowing that his choice would upset many, he made special efforts to appear in the mass media to explain his decision. Tun Hussein knew that only a person with a strong character, knowledge and vision could steer the country to its greatness. Popularity is something you could earn as you move forward.

Mahathir was the only player during his time as our prime minister; he was the only sole handler. Others were handled by him and they had toe his line and be in his cheer team otherwise they would have been out by default. That was how we had 22 years of relative stability.

In the case of Pak Lah, from what could seen thus far - especially in handling Umno's internal politics and some pertinent issues - he appears to be detached and remote. People around him seem to be dictating terms.

There appear to be too many choreographers, handlers and 'loudspeakers'. Each of them appear to have their own personal agenda and they jealously guard their turf. Intruders would be threatened and punished. We fear that if not properly managed, this could lead to a free-for-all in the local political scene.

We believe that some degree of assertiveness and personal involvement is necessary to exert control and leadership. It is necessary to make unpopular decisions from time to time rather than submitting to a populist mentality and allow things to happen in a predictable manner.

It takes a true leader to say 'No', to put aside conventional rules and prove that popular views are not always correct. For this reason, a leader must take charge and exert firm control. There should be only one player, or one handler. There should be only one captain for a ship.