Readers respond on a variety of hot topics including the 'telling relevations' of Dr Mahathir Mohamad's former political secretary Matthias Chang on the controversial bridge project. Anwar Ibrahim's return to politics, the business ethics survey and Malaysian 'Napoleons' also draw in some feedback.

On MPs: Matthias out of line

Kisin: I find it rather unusual that no one seems to be supporting Matthias Chang on his claims about the bridge issue. I believe we should not be so quick to judge the messenger.

Who Matthias Chang is, is not quite as important as the 'facts' he has brought to light. Surely these facts need to be investigated and considered?

Yes, I agree that Chang was overly careless in calling for Syed Hamid to resign, but the real problem is not with Chang, nor is it with Dr Mahathir. I am neither pro-Mahathir nor am I anti, but I do support his call for a referendum.

If indeed the people object to the bridge, then let it be proven first. Let us not waste our time on personal attacks less we lose sight of the true problem.

Out Of Job: I think it is 'advisors' like Mattias who have also contributed to the state of our economy at the moment.

Ask the SME's as to how they are suffering.

Now he makes all the noise. I think he should just be ignored.

By giving him soooo much coverage, we are just falling into his trap. He should now look for a proper job to do.

Dling: My contention is this: why did Pak Lah's government give the go-ahead amidst much fanfare to start the bridge project and then pull back a few weeks later? Given the background, they should have studied the matter thoroughly before deciding on the go-ahead and not state legal impediments after you have started.

In dealing with Singaporeans, you should be thinking five steps ahead before you even embark on in as they are always thinking. To me, the credibility of Pak Lah Administration is at stake.

Let me just name a few more other uncredible decisions:- Good bonus for government servants when you keep saying the government has no money, U-turn on constitution's review after the Moorty case, the AP issue, the 30 sen petrol increase, the almost U-Turn on the IPCMC, Proton, NST cartoon double standard, a stagnant economy that has many businesses fuming, a rather academic 9MP and so on.

I guess Mahathir's diagreements are largely due to all these factors. Hence, he pulled out some evidence to support the claim for this bridge to be built and that we should not bow to Singapore just like that.

Anyway, it's his own doing as well as this is the leader he has chosen to replace him. It also shows one thing and that our government backbenchers have no stand of their own.

Today, if the story is to build the bridge, they will rally blindly. Tommorrow, if it is to stop it, they will provide some flimsy reasons to support it.

No wonder politicians are the last in the Malaysian trust list.

Sankar: Lim Kit Siang as always has seen the whole episode in its perspective and the present government has a responsibility to explain to the people. This worm of a bridge is a ghost from the past administration of Mahathir.

Is he angry and disappointed that his cronies could not go ahead with the contract? What is he complaining about? The contractor got RM100 million for no work done!

The blame the present government should bear is, having known the full facts why make all the announcements and statements? To blackmail Singapore?

Elementary error of tactics, not knowing who we are dealing with. What else can we expect from the calibre of the entire Cabinet taken together? Need I say more?

Sookhoo: To have a new bridge connecting both countries is a good idea in the long run. If either party cannot agree, then scrap it.

There is no sense in having a half bridge, crooked or scenic at our end. It makes us the laughing stock of the whole world. Going for it can only mean that more politicians and their crony contractors/developers are going to make more money out of the public.

In the end, the tax payers are the ones to suffer for our politician's inane ideas of mega-projects which will only benefit them more than the people.

We should have more brains than our neighbour when dealing in such foreign affairs. The PM is right in scrapping it. If we want to relieve the traffic jams, why not widen the causeway?

It will be cheaper. Forget about water flowing through, or dredging the bottom so that ocean steamers can sail through and dock at our Johor Port.

By then the Thais would have made a canal at the Kra Isthmus, and all our efforts would go to nought, but not our politicos and their cronies. Syabas to the PM!

On Trust survey: Politicians at the bottom

Azzat Kamaludin : I am surprised that in reporting the survey the report does not dwell on the fact that 'judges' came in 6th of 15th.

As a country that touts its judicial system as one of the boons to foreign investors, such a ranking by citizens of the country should raise eyebrows.

I suppose the report does not see it fit to comment on the ranking because perhaps not being ranked 1st did not come as a surprise.

I suspect that the results could be more dismal if foreigners living or working in Malaysia were included in the survey.

On Napoleons everywhere: PM told to strike back

Joe Public: Little Napoleons are not easy to deal with, without the help of those in charge of them.

Even simple office boys and clerks, for eg. in the court administration, are known to be able to 'find or hide or even destroy' files, depending on which way you want it.

Often, leaders make statements on delivery time, for eg. certificate of fitness, but they are out of touch with reality. Only on specific cases where a VVIP took a personal interest can any matter be done fast. But how many cases can he look into personally?

Our PM has so many portfolios that he would be telling the truth when he said 'I did not know about that'. It is easy to say 'hit back' but the danger of sabotage is so real.

On Anwar to return to politics full-time

Dr Chris Anthony: I think Malaysians in general would only too happy to have Anwar back in active politics. In fact they were pretty disappointed that he had to be away for so long. I'm sure he has good reasons to do so.

There has been a change in the leadership of Umno with a new prime minister who is more tolerant of opposing views and does not play on racial or religious sentiments to gain popularity in his party.

He seems to be less nasty with the opposition and accepts everybody as rightful citizens of the country.

A whole new generation of Malaysians have grown up being less tolerant of divergence and suspicious of each other. The new PM, I feel, would be able to dilute these effects to a certain degree but much more has to be done to achieve a truly peaceful multiracial Malaysia.

I feel the active involvement of Anwar would further enhance these favourable developments in the country. His bitter experiences over the last five years would greatly contribute towards building a more democratic country which is in dire need of a strong opposition in parliament.

So DSAI, welcome back.

Sankar: Thanks to Anwar for his views on the state of affairs of the Indian community in Malaysia. But that is a view and the truth every sensible and fair-minded Malaysia knows is that Samy and MIC is the only group that have not realised the degenerating state of affairs the Indians are in.

If they did, Samy and his MIC cronies would not have been part of the government for so long, repeatedly emphasising that MIC is the only party representing the Indian community. Probably they have benefitted immensely, while the community has almost drowned.

If one cannot deliver what you are responsible for, just walk away and say you have failed. That could have earned MIC some respect. Let the community fend for itself. It is a moral and economic crime to propagate about the wonderful things the government is doing for the Indians and then mislead them.

The educated Indians never fell for but majority of the Indians are illiterate, uneducated with no skills and displaced from the plantations their parents and forefathers developed with sweat and blood. How sad.

Touch your heart: Anwar was in the cabinet for so many years. He was then in a position to do all that which he talked about now. But did he?

He was also involved in the formulation and implementation of more than one Malaysia five-year plan which would have given him ample time and opportunities to do what he is now asking the Abdullah cabinet to do now. But did he do it?

Oppression of the poor and the down-trodden? Was it not during his reign that a group of Umno youth stormed and created international headlines when they disrupted a conference on East Timor, a country which was oppressed by Indonesia?

Oh, come on Anwar touch your heart before you answer these questions, because you are answerable to the Almighty yourself. All the rhetoric and blaming game is of no use in front of the Almighty.