YOURSAY ‘On the other hand, Najib is weak and he didn't even try.’
Abdullah Badawi was a better PM, says DAP MP
Telestai! I fully agree with Kluang MP Liew Chin Tong. Although Pak Lah (Abdullah Ahmad Badawi) was a weak leader, he wasn't a hypocrite.
I believe Pak Lah genuinely tried to do his best but could not achieve much due to the ultras in Umno. On the other hand, PM Najib Razak is weak too and he didn't even try.
All he is doing is double speak, creating a smoke screen like Pemandu and being complicit to the actions of nonsensical NGOs like Isma and Perkasa. In this regard, Pak Lah was a better leader.
Boonpou: Najib becomes prime minister by default. He is, after all, the son of a former PM. However, both Abdullah Badawi and Dr Mahathir Mohamad did not become PM because their father was a PM.
Regardless of what you may argue - that Najib is handicapped by the sheer fact that Mahathir is still calling the shots - at least Abdullah Badawi stood up to the old man (and to his peril).
Najib has no such principle. His theory is to hold on to the PM’s post for as long as it takes. His 1Malaysia and what-naught are nothing but taken out of first-year undergraduate marketing courses.
Dalvik: I agree that Pak Lah is a better PM. At least he:
1) Didn't quickly jump to blame a certain party for the disastrous 2008 general election results, with statements such as the 'Chinese tsunami'.
2) At least during his time, the national debt was still okay.
3) Most importantly, 2008 election was not BN's worst result, 2013 election is BN's worst ever result.
I Wonder?: Yes, I agree. Pak Lah is a moderate and a better man. He was forced to step down, not by the people, but by his own party's corrupt leaders.
With him still around, we may not be too good, but definitely would not be this worse.
Negarawan: "Former law minister Zaid Ibrahim, also agreed that Abdullah was a better prime minister than Najib because he would not tolerate hatred and bigotry."
While that may be true of Abdullah Badawi, I would expect him, as a former PM, to speak out against the current racial/religious extremism from Umno/Perkasa/Isma/Jati and other related issues.
But he is quiet and nowhere to be seen.
Myviews: Good men in Umno can very seldom rise to the top and even if they do, cannot last long. Pak Lah is one and Saifuddin Abdullah is another.
They are a minority in a pool of sharks and mercenaries. Pak Lah should make a comeback as he is an Umno leader most Malaysians can trust, including those in Pakatan.
As for Zaid Ibrahim, he should seriously consider joining DAP since Umno, PAS, nor PKR would take him. Going it alone is out of question.
Please do your bit to help get Malaysia out of its present rut. You have what it takes to be a good leader. The only problem, the way I see it, is that your strong character is your weakness. Be a team player.
In Malaysia, the people, especially the well-informed and smart ones, do not get to elect the PM.
The PM and the deputy PM are decided for you and me by the delegates who are mainly from rural areas who in turn are elected by a bunch of kampung folks who are largely unaware of national issues.
Therefore we do not get the PM we want but some second or third-rate individuals. This is the British system we have inherited and therefore we will never get someone with real PM material.
This is unlike the US system where the chief executive is directly elected by the people.
Malaysia Maju: I think Abdullah Badawi was Malaysia's best PM ever. Mahathir did not like him because he had the guts to overturn some of his mega projects and secondly, Abdullah's son-in-law Khairy Jamaluddin was a smart guy, unlike Mahathir's son Mukhriz.
With Khairy around, Mukhriz has no chance to be PM. So Mahathir went to town to tarnish his image and many dumb Malaysians bought into Mahathir's lies. Abdullah, like a gentleman, stepped down.
Louis: I just make a survey among my friends and neighbours. Almost 10 out of 10 say Najib is definitely a very lousy PM.
He is more or less an echo PM, echoing what the majority say. He has no original ideas. Pak Lah, though sleepy, would wake up once in a while and came up with brilliant ideas.
Oh yes, Pak Lah is not afraid to answer journalists at press conference, but Najib ‘cabut’ (leaves) immediately.
Kamaapo: In my opinion, the greatest disservice of Abdullah Badawi to the nation was his failure to implement an independent Police Complaints and Misconduct Commission (IPCMC).
He was, even being PM and home minister then, gutless to confront the opposition from the IGP (inspector-general of police), who is his subordinate. It was a golden opportunity wasted.
The nation is now facing the dire consequence.
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