If the state of affairs at the Finance Ministry is a microcosm of how Pak Lah runs the country, we should be very, very worried.

First, we had the Capital Avenue fiasco and now the Khazanah buyout of Pantai Holdings from Parkway Holdings Limited. As Husam Musa had pointed out , Parkway had no business owning so much shares in Pantai in the first place and the Ministry of Finance should have not have let it happen.

However, only after the alarm had been raised did the ministry contrive with Khazanah in a convoluted manner buy back the shares from Parkway (who made a sizeable profit) and yet still offered them a 49% share in Pantai Irama - the controlling shareholder in Pantai!

This episode begs the question whether this ministry and its ministers are making the right decisions for the country. The impression one gets is that there is a lot of wheeling and dealing being allowed to go on under its purview and certain favoured parties are benefitting at the country's expense.

Pak Lah as the minister must ultimately be held responsible if it turns out that our country's assets and interests are being sold 'up' the river, even if by the sleight of his ignorant hand. This is a bigger crime than corruption and though we may feel no pain, the loss may ultimately be our independence.

Happy Merdeka.