We fully deserve what we are getting from the establishment now.

We didn’t appreciate the man who was slowly but surely trying to make things better, to get Malaysia into the realm of the civilised world where the country belongs to the people and not politicians.

Abdullah Ahmad Badawi tried to ease up the draconian stranglehold and make Malaysia a freer place to talk, live and play.

He was a kind caring and honest man, just prone to sleeping in meetings and generally not a hard, vindictive or cunning person.

He trusted many in his cabinet to carry out government policies without fear, favour or self-interests, but many didn’t.

Pak Lah wasn’t power-hungry, and he didn’t scheme a way to get rid of his deputies so that he can carry on being PM. He could have, if he wanted to, but he just didn’t want the party to be torn apart for self interest, so he graciously withdrew.

He was targeted because he didn’t wish to pursue the crooked bridge, which was crooked idea from the first instances.

Because he refused to be nasty and employ dirty tricks against his ‘enemies’, he was unceremoniously booted out, although he made Malaysia gentle and tried his best to rein in the police and give teeth to the anti-corruption agency. But the powers that be made sure this didn’t happen, as people who have power would not willingly give it away.

He tried his best to undo the stranglehold that a few privileged businessmen had over government contracts for a long time. He tried to do the right things.

I am sure many have heard stories of his hospitality to visitors to his house.

His enemy within and without his party gunned him out, blaming him for the failed policies that he inherited from the previous prime minister. Was there any mega-project initiated under Pak Lah as compared to the previous PM? Does anyone really believe Pak Lah really gave our land away to Brunei just like that? A bit over the top right?

They sabotaged his tenure by arresting opposition figures under the Internal Security Act for a really stupid reason.

He never used the press law to silence his critics, which is a familiar trick in this part of the world.

We hounded a gentle person out of office.

Now, we are faced with press freedom going backwards again.

Mandarins are in charge.

Thousands are now employed at the PM’s Office (PMO) doing God knows what when the individual ministries doing the same things are already in existence. This government is taking power out of state and federal bodies and holding it at the PMO level. The country is being run more like a presidential set-up rather then as a parliamentary democracy.

Crying out now is too late. No one bothered to defend the gentle man who was slowly making Malaysia a more pleasant place where everyone is respected.

Yes, the opposition is guilty as well. We are all guilty.