The report Malaysia in confidence crisis indicates that there are sections of the populace who are missing the woods for the trees by focusing on the perceived current spate of corrupt incidences, the Jasin MP fiasco being a case in point.

The likes of the Jasin MP are not products of the current administration only. Such depravity does not manifest itself overnight. A good number of BN MPs are old hands. It is just the case that for 22 years under the premiership of Dr Mahathir Mohamad, public servants (like the Custom's director-general) and the mainstream media, would not have had the nerve to pursue a ruling coalition MP for his transgression.

This is, however, happening now under the present leadership. So we should be pleased that matters are not being swept under the carpet and that all is well and sundry in our beloved nation as was done in the past.

However, having fostered this new ideal of transparency, Pak Lah should very well take it to the final stage by boldly cutting off a cancerous limb before it spreads to the whole body.

Interestingly, the above report touched on the current Islamisation of the country as a result of efforts by Umno to out-Islamise PAS. True, and we all know too well who declared Malaysia an Islamic state, who introduced Section 121(1A) of the Federal Constitution, who teamed the civil service with one ethnic group, who failed to monitor government policy implementation to the extent national schools were becoming mono-ethnic and who basically widened the divide between bumiputeras and non-bumiputeras.

We also know who has introduced a universal human ethic (known as Islam Hadhari) which principles conform to that espoused by all world religions and who has attempted to make national schools truly national so that every Malaysian speaks four languages to their benefit.