It is disingenuous for M Bakri Musa and Din Merican to suggest that former prime minister Dr Mahathir Mohamad can still be a resource for Pak Lah and the country in one breath, and in the next, lay the blame for the country's present ills squarely on Pak Lah.
In the first place, Pak Lah inherited most of his problems from the previous Mahathir administration. How can he turn to the source of his problems for enlightenment? In many cases, Pak Lah has to not only dismantle the system but also instill a new set of values to replace the existing ones.
We can agree that he knows what is to be done but that he does not have the strength to go about it. He is weighed down by a lot of old useless baggage which, unfortunately, he does not have the heart nor courage to chuck out.
Pak Lah's lack of internal fortitude is, however, not something totally unexpected. He has been around for a long time and we all know what the man is capable of, none more so than his predecessor who put him there.
It is therefore by design that he is where he is now, and if you want to blame someone for the fine mess the country is in now we should look no further than Mahathir - for choosing Pak Lah in the first place .
Going back to Mahathir is not the answer. Pak Lah has to find his own course and we are left to hope and pray that he will do it successfully for us all, at least over the coming four years.