In my opinion, the Economist has not used the right words to put the achievements of our prime minister in perspective. Many Malaysians would rate our premier very high. Under his leadership, there is social harmony. It is amazing that people of different cultures, races and religions have lived so harmoniously under his leadership. The standard of living of Malaysians has improved tremendously.

However, while we may disagree with the Economist , I do hope that the authorities would not impose a ban o­n the magazine. Readers who dislike the Economist may stop buying the magazine altogether.

Our prime minister's achievements are there for Malaysians to see. They are real. We would leave it to our next prime minister to bring Malaysia to a higher plane. Countries need progress. Of course, there are issues regarding the appointment of judges, the judgments in certain high-profile cases, such as the Anwar Ibrahim trials, ISA, etc. Malaysians will have to have trust in our judicial system, and we hope and pray that our learned judges have made and will make the right judgments.

Our country should reward our prime minister suitably when he retires. Corporations reward their CEOs for a job well done. I wonder what the next government will do. Perhaps it is an opportune time to bring up the compensation of our cabinet ministers for further debate. I strongly believe that the salaries of the prime minister and his colleagues in the cabinet are too low compared to those in Singapore, Hong Kong and the private sector in Malaysia.

For a start, we should review the salaries of those in cabinet. If I have my way, the yearly pay should be at least RM1 million a year, excluding housing, for the office of the prime minister. The pay of the other cabinet ministers may be adjusted based o­n the salary of the PM. The salaries of the rest of the civil service may be reviewed when our economy and budget allow for a higher increase.

With a new pay system, our incoming new PM has an additional degree of freedom to attract more able leaders into the government. Good talents are not cheap. Out there, there are professionals who shun public office as they dread loss of privacy associated with higher political offices. We need able leaders in both good and bad times. Better pay may induce these people to join the government.

Malaysia will have a change of the guard soon. It is time the public spends some time o­n how to reward our ministers and key personnel in the government more fairly. This, I believe, would steer Malaysia into greater prosperity.