Readers respond to the press conference held by the former aide to Dr Mahathir Mohamad and his contention that Singapore had agreed to the half-bridge project. Several ask why Matthias Chang is choosing to speak up only now.

I Must Be Stupid: After his impressive presentation, Matthias Chang summarised the issue very well. I quote:

"Who made him a foreign minister? Mahathir," he said.

It makes one wonders why Chang was not made the chief negotiator instead, given that he is so articulate and apparently knows the issues better than Syed Hamid.

After all, it's the boss's responsibility to give the right job to the right person, right? So, don't blame others when one gave the job to the wrong person.

Joe Public: If Matthias Chiang wanted publicity, he scored almost 100% with Bernama and The Star reporting his comments. TV3 did not mention it at all.

Not many had heard his name, until out of the blue, he became special assistant to then PM on Chinese affairs. He was not a Chinese scholar and I doubt his connections with the main Chinese educational bodies and associations were excellent enough to have gotten him his position as an aide to Dr. M.

Therefore, to many members of the public, they are asking 'Who is this guy?'

He has certainly made many enemies with his latest outburst on the bridge - certainly not diplomatic material.

Just as he questioned Syed Hamid, why did he wait until now to say that the bridge project could proceed? I wonder why he did not use his influence then to achieve his master's objective?

If he is for a new straight bridge to replace the causeway in future, as suggested by the ex-PM of Singapore, I might support his stance. But if he supported the crooked bridge, he is just as bad as his master.

LS Kong: An aide eh? Always whispering into the ears of the emperor ...

I wonder where was this fellow during the water supply negotiations with Singapore and during the numerous 'wayang kulit' dramas with the republic. Who was the foreign minister again then?

Where was he when the loophole in the national financial system was exploited by George Soros?

Where was he when the top police officer of our land personally awarded someone in police custody a black eye?

When the population of Sabah doubled during the reign of his master, where was he?

I mean, of course, every of the rakyat, including Mr Chang, has the right to voice his opinions and sing the chorus for his master, but there are only a handful that really deserve my contempt.

HL Too: I very nearly fell off my chair laughing when I read that Dr Mahathir Mohamad's former political secretary for Chinese affairs, Matthias Chang is appealing to the media to be fair and not to censor Dr Mahathir's comments.

Is Chang so naive as to believe that such tactics by the so-called mainstream media is something new?

Perhaps, this is new for Dr Mahathir but this is certainly not new for the former PM's critics during the time when Dr Mahathir was the prime minister.

Aw, come on, Matthias, surely you must know how the game is being played. After having said that, I must commend Chang for taking the bold step of calling a press conference and asking, in his personal capacity, for the resignation of the foreign minister.

When he said that he is speaking on his own personal capacity, can we then assume that he had not sought the approval of Dr Mahathir.

Thai Eng: I refer to the item: Dr M's ex-aide tells Syed Hamid to quit . All of a sudden there are Napoleons all over the place in BolehLand. The PM says there are 'little Napoleons' among the civil servants, the opposition leader calls the IGP a 'big Napoleon' and now the ex-aide of the Tun, the former PM, calls the Foreign Minister and Chief Bridge Negotiator a 'big Napoleon' too.

I am sure we all know who the 'biggest of Bolehland Napoleons' is.

He came out with the idea of a new bridge to allow water to flow under it and also to increase traffic to the port in Johore. A great idea for the good of the nation, no doubt. But unfortunately, he was also responsible for appointing the Foreign Minister and making him the chief negotiator for the new Malaysia-Singapore bridge project.

We are now informed by his ex-aide that the said Foreign Minister cum Chief Bridge Negotiator cum PM advisor does not know his job and is sloppy at doing his 'homework'. Why wasn't he stopped in his tracks but allowed to fumble on for some three long years?

The last para of the report is telling and I certainly agree with the ex-aide: 'Is this fair? Syed Hamid cannot be compared to Mahathir. Don't put the two pictures like that. Who made him a foreign minister? Mahathir, he said'.

The former is just a 'big Napolean' but the latter is the biggest of BolehLand's 'Napoleons'!

Why are we in our present mess and have 'mud in our faces' among other stuff. We certainly know who is the one ultimately responsible; the 'biggest of BolehLand Napoleons', he who brooks no opposition, he who used to think nothing of referenda, he who cares not what others had to say, the one who Matthias tells us appointed the Foreign Minister cum Chief Bridge Negotiator cum PM advisor in the first place. I rest my case.

Dr Chris Anthony: It was amusing to read Matthias Chang, Dr Mahathir's former political secretary for Chinese affairs challenging the media to publish his remarks in full. It was even more amusing that he claimed the media was being unfair to his former boss.

Where was Chang when, for the past 2 decades, the people and the opposition were challenging the same media and accusing it of being unfair to them? Why didn't he come out in support of those oppressed people then?

Has he forgotten that some of them were even detained under the ISA?

Chang, we all know it was Dr Mahathir who made Syed Hamid the foreign minister. In the same context, it is relevant here to ask who made Dr Mahathir the prime minister? The rakyat, of course.

The same rakyat are the ones who have made Abdullah Ahmad Badawi the prime minister and he is just fulfilling their aspirations.

Chris A Malaysian: Singapore was born eight years later than Malaysia, but is 20 years more developed and mature than Malaysia in all aspects.

We can see this from the decision-making over the bridge issue by the two countries' leaders.

Stop being jealous on the success of Singapore and stop giving them a hard time. Learn how Singaporeans live their life and how their government runs the country.

This might close up the gap in the near future, or it will never be.