I refer to your April Fool's joke about the imminent detentions of three cabinet ministers and a menteri besar, which have made the attorney-general angry and at the same time caused the grapevine to work overtime.

Alas, the news is too good to be true.

The April 1 reports help to stir debate on the prime minister's promise to stamp out corruption in this country. It is an open secret among Malaysians that there are certain long-standing ministers who are perceived to be on the take. After one year in office, the public cannot help but feel cheated that having given the new prime minister a huge mandate in the last polls, many tainted ministers are still in office.

There is a Malay proverb, which says "siapa makan cili, dia terasa pedas", it literally mean those whose hands are not clean will feel the heat if they are involved in corruption.

Our ministers and top guns should understand that they are not above the law as history shows that those who remain in power for too long will suffer a fate worse than death.

Remember Saddam Hussein of Iraq, Suharto of Indonesia, Marcos of the Philippines and Pinochet of Chile and one can see that those who abuse power while in office will be shown to the door by the Almighty if they don't reform and change their old ways of doing business.

In the meantime, one can only hope and pray that our country will not follow the road taken by despots of the third world who had plundered the state assets to amass wealth's beyond their wildest dream, and make the country and people suffer for their folly.

At the end of the day, leaders whose feet are made of clay tend to act as they please in order to remain in power. Eventually, they will follow the same road taken by other despots.