It must have been one of the most trying moments in the life of Datuk Seri Abu Hassan Omar, the former mentri besar of Selangor. For here's a man whose only desire at that point in time was to step down from his official position, which he did recently, and also to retire from hectic schedules.

All he wanted to do was - as he confessed publicly and, later, compelled to reiterate - to give his troubled heart, which already underwent a by-pass surgery in 1994, and his overall physical self, a break. Equally important, he wanted to devote his remaining years and quality time to his beloved wife and kids.

And yet, the Malaysian public, as if suffering from insatiable cravings, derided him with sinister suspicion and slanders, one of which was that he was alleged to have had carnal knowledge with his sister-in-law, and that this labour of love yielded an 11-year-old son.

Haven't the Malaysian public had enough of excitement in their daily lives, at least in the last few years so much so that they wished for (more information on) Abu's fornication? Were they not excited about the Sauk incident (recently re-enacted, courtesy of Defence Ministry), Anwar's sodomy trial, Ecstasy raids, Vengaboys, mega-shopping carnival, to name but a few?

Coming back to the allegation of sexual encounter. Abu had a perfect explanation: he has a close friend of Chinese descent, a Muslim convert, who has his namesake, and was madly in love with Abu's (the former MB, i.e.) sister-in-law. The woman subsequently married the Chinese man and bore him that 11-year-old child, who, in turn, was given a name, XXX bin Abu Hassan. Surely a man is entitled to at least one coincidence in his life!

Certain sections of the mainstream media, too, weren't fully satisfied. Almost ecstatic, they grilled Abu over this alleged sex scandal, insisting that Abu should have confronted this matter head on. To this, Abu coolly opined, it's not in the Malay culture to confront issues, such as the alleged sex romp, directly. You just resigned. That's what damage control is all about anyway.

Furthermore, this resignation was also done all in the name of "race, religion and country". What could be more noble than this? But cynics would ask, what about his clinging onto his state assemblyman position? Well, that merely illustrates his incurable passion to serve the rakyat, albeit now in a less hectic pace.

Thank God, Abu was spared the agony and ignominy of having to face the prospect of a "creative" writer penning a little booklet entitled, 15 Dalil Kenapa Abu Hassan Mesti Letak Jawatan (15 Reasons Why Abu Hassan Must Resign). Whether it can be a bestseller is another matter altogether.

But there were other vicious rumours as well that had made their rounds. For instance, Abu was said to have been involved in material corruption.

Furthermore, his RM5 million renovation of his official residence was another item that was supposed to have driven him to the end of his political career.

Had it not been for the unwarranted excitement from members of the general public and sections of the media, Abu would have literally left his esteemed office by clocking out for the last time, and doing so with an infectious smile, the usual way in which many senior civil servants end their government service. Instead, you got the poor man weeping and looking downtrodden.

Malaysians should learn to trust leaders such as Abu Hassan more. After all, we're talking of a BN government that means business particularly when it comes to matters involving moral propriety and sexual conduct. Even our oft short memory would indicate to us that sexual misconduct such as sodomy has been seriously dealt with, especially if it involves leaders in the government.

Viewed in this context, the New Straits Times ' front-page commentary written by Ahmad A. Talib, successor of A Kadir Jasin, headlined "Tongues wag but Abu Hassan has done the right thing", on the day (Aug 11) the news about Abu's resignation broke out, was as timely as it was apt.

In a land of moral uprightness, it is indeed not out of naivet that the NST 's editor-in-chief called on Malaysian politicians vying for high positions, such as the mentri besar's, to show their hands should they have skeletons in the cupboard. It seemed that this is one of the effective ways to curb corruption and other forms of impropriety.

Being an earnest custodian of morality, justice and truth, the BN government easily opens itself up to the envy and mischief of foreign media and western governments. Why, wasn't the allegation of Abu's illicit affair further spun by Indonesia's Jawa Pos ?

Foreign irritants

Again, seen in this light, we can then appreciate why on Aug 11 the NST ran an editorial ("Our affairs our own") hitting out hard at "meddlesome" US, Australia and New Zealand which made disparaging remarks on Malaysia's judiciary in the wake of the Anwar sex trial. In other words, let us do our own thing, you do yours.

With these "foreign irritants" in mind and armed with a certain moral rectitude, Foreign Minister Syed Hamid Albar and Deputy Prime Minister Abdullah Ahmad Badawi, and later the Prime Minister himself, confidently and patriotically lambasted the "interference" into our internal affairs by not only western governments, but also international media such as The Guardian (UK), Washington Post (USA), The Nation (Thailand), Daily Inquirer (The Philippines), Sydney Morning Herald (Australia), South China Morning Post (HK), and international human rights groups such as the Amnesty International. The "country's honour" is indeed at stake.

Yes, no one should tell us how to run our beloved country, well, with the exception of certainwell-intentioned people like Singapore's statesman Lee Kuan Yew. Which was why the NST carried an exclusive interview with the seasoned leader who, among other things, sneered at PAS and DAP. Senior Minister Lee should be qualified enough to talk about the problems associated with Malaysia's opposition given his many experiences in dealing with his own back home.

The heart of the matter is, Abu, or, for that matter, the BN government as a whole, should, despite raining criticisms from elsewhere, steadfastly do what is felt to be the right thing to do. That is, take an action that doesn't prick the conscience.