Either the 21 ministers had no guts to tell then PM Mahathir that his idea about the bridge was wrong or they were 'yes-men', says a malaysiakini reader in respond to the report You're out of line, gov't tells Dr M .

Joe Public: Nazri stated that 21 out of the present 32 ministers were appointed by Dr M. Whether Dr M was referring to the whole cabinet as 'half past six and with no guts', it is clear that either the 21 had no guts when he was PM to tell him his idea about the bridge was wrong, or they were and are, 'yes-men' to whoever is the leader of the day.

Dr M has been known for his 'guts' in telling off the western world leaders. His 'Buy British last' policy was rewarded with a red-carpet welcome by Queen Elizabeth II. How could he swallow our government's 'give in' to the tiny dot, Singapore?

Mazni: The only reason I can see why the bridge project is stagnating is Malaysia's lack in self-belief. My recommendation is to find somebody strong enough to follow through on this project to their deathbed. Any suggestions as to anyone worthy of the cause?

A Very Ashamed Malaysian: It is commendable that our former prime minister chides Malaysia for having no self-respect. One wonders whether this self-respect ever existed in Malaysia since 1990, when the NEP was to have ended?

Yusoff Gazee: I think the commotions and uproar over the scenic half-bridge issue should be allowed to subside in a leisurely manner. Decisions have been made by elected professionals deemed responsible for the security and prosperity of the country.

With our southern neighbour, we need to take steps tactfully and not in a haste with any negotiations. Just like the game of chess, it becomes a requisite to find ways to checkmate the opponents in this case with dignity and never to indulge in the 'snake and ladder' maneuver when the dice is in their hands. In reality, what I am getting at is when faced with this kind of mayhem, one should quietly find other polite ways to induce an anxiety driven common sense into the ongoing negotiations.

Perhaps, a typical example that has somehow softened the opponent previously that we may not be aware of is during the inauguration of the new Kuantan - Kuala Lumpur highway. I didn't say Kuantan- Port Klang just yet. Our neighbour knows well even with the current highway and poorly managed ports in the east coast, the dice would still be at their nervous hands. Nevertheless, extra attention around the peninsular east-coast ports with dedicated rail links to the other ports on the west coast would positively make our neighbour reconsider the impact it would bring to their country and of course, the prosperity it would bring to this country.

HJ Angus: As one reads the exchange of views with the past leaders and the current government, it seems that we are the victims of a system where leaders do not really earn their spurs but are the recipients of a patronage system.

While this has served the country with a reasonable measure of success, it is not without weakness. For example if we study the method by which the prime minister is appointed, it appears that perhaps a hundred Malaysians, the majority of which come from the Umno Supreme Council, have the most influence on who becomes our PM.

Reading the vitriolic attacks on the present leaders by Dr M, it seems that the latter is offended, as the new leaders did not continue his preferred projects like the 'crooked bridge' and Proton.

In a system where the majority of the population chooses the top leaders, such a situation will seldom arise and the people will rally behind the leaders they have selected. The leader also knows that he has the full support of the people and will not feel intimidated by the person who appointed him.

To our prime minister, I would say in the words of Shakespeare, "Screw your courage to the sticking place and we'll not fail."

Create more mechanisms where the people can show more support for your objectives and Malaysia can improve to become a more just and civilised nation.

Mat Golden Warrior: The complaints made by Dr Mahathir that he had been censored or blocked out by the mainstream media were received with apparent glee by those who seemingly uphold the principle of transparency and responsibility to provide reports without fear or favour. Surely, this age-old practice by the mainstream print and electronic media of totally blacking out contrarian views to the ruling authority is unacceptable, regardless of whoever is at the receiving end.

If such a practice is unacceptable when it is used against us ordinary citizens, then it should also be unacceptable when applied to erstwhile VIPs. We cannot condone any kind of double standard practised against anyone of us even if, in this particular case, we did not like what had been the practice during the former PM 's administration.

More so, we should raise our objection to this unprofessional practice by the mainstream media presently because the Abdullah government has practically made transparency and responsible administration its clarion call, if not its raison d'etre.

I wish to point out an often left-out-but-significant aspect of the decision not to build the bridge. It is the way the decision was finally arrived at. I sincerely believe that the greatest damage lies with the government's flip-flop decision of building, and three weeks later, not building the bridge, that has caused most pain and damage to Malaysia and its good standing, not to mention the unnecessary loss of RM100 million.

If a strong government such as ours could with equal fervour and determination decides and then quickly makes a 180-degree turn, changed its decision without any serious external or internal threats to Malaysia's survival as an independent and sovereign nation, could its future "strong and well-thought out" commitments be taken seriously?

I dread to consider the answer.

The following are comments other reports. This one is on Politicians seek foreign supernatural boost

HL Too: I sympathise with the bomoh Awang Mohd Yahya who is supposedly a famous 'bomoh politik' when he expressed regret that there were those who pretended to be bomohs and preyed on gullible politicians. I can understand that the problem is compounded by the fact that there is no register for bomohs that one can consult. This is unlike some professions such as medicine, dentistry, engineering, accountancy, etc. Similarly, those who claimed to be sinsehs are in the same boat.

Obviously, the Health Ministry cannot just can't have anybody who claims to be bomoh or sinseh practising in our hospitals alongside medical doctors who are registered. This is because even to treat animals, veterinarians need to be registered. Therefore, the Health Ministry must be coming up with some form of registration for bomohs, sinsehs, Chinese bone setters, Indian herbalists, Orang Asli shamans and other alternative medicine 'specialists'. The same methodology can then be applied to register 'bomoh politik' as well as other bomoh sub-specialities. I would suggest that Awang and his colleagues consult the health minister who so far, has not revealed how he is going to authenticate these 'professionals'.

On Politicians in bow tie stunt

Billy Ong: What has our 16 MPs and circus clowns have in common? Bow ties. I just cannot imagine that these are the same people who are representing our interests in such an august house.