When Singapore decided to leave Malaysia back in the 60s, the late Tun Dr Ismail shared the sentiments of most of the Johorians of the time in that he was very much against the idea.

In fact, as the minister of internal affairs then he instructed the head of the prison in Taiping to prepare two special air-conditioned cells for two political celebrities then. It was rumored that one was for Lee Kuan Yew and he other was for Syed Nasir Ismail.

Tunku Abdul Rahman subsequently explained to his fellow Umno members that it was better to lose Singapore than to throw the country into a state of civil war. Dr Ismail subsequently made a sudden retreat from active politics.

Both of them are great leaders of conscience and passion. I love and respect them for what they were.

In the context of the present situation, Pak Lah has been trapped between legacies left by Dr Mahathir Mohamad and the realities of the moment and he had decided in his own predictable way.

The decision to abort the half-bridge project was a difficult and onerous one for him. It is real with all of its unpredictable impact and consequences. In view of this, I respect Pak Lah as he is and for whatever he is .He is sincere, responsible and totally unpretentious.