There are some Malaysians who think that Prime Minister Dr Mahathir Mohamad should retire now because he has served for too long. I disagree. In my opinion, he should stay in office for another 10 years to train up more capable leaders.

The inability of Deputy Premier Abdullah Ahmad Badawi to solve the MCA crisis is a case in point. Lacking the firmness and smartness of Mahathir, Team A leaders just outwitted the DPM, and rendered him powerless and helpless in PM's absence.

If a future PM and Umno president cannot obtain what he wants from junior partners, what can the nation expect of him in international negotiations? Our country will lose out to skillful negotiators from powerful multinational companies, arms merchants and governments of other countries.

It is for this very simple reason that I hope Mahathir will not rush to hand over power just because some Malaysians have grown impatient with him.