The real Pak Lah — Ahmad Sabri

I guess Malaysians only truly know what their prime ministers are after they retire. In office, they sound terribly reasonable, always making the right sounds to obtain support from Malays, Chinese, Indians, etc.

They coin phrases and policies like “Bangsa Malaysia”, “Islam Hadhari”, “prime minister of all Malaysians”. Such reasonable chaps. Well, Tun Dr Mahathir Mohamad showed his true colours in his support of Perkasa, his not so Bangsa Malaysia views about non-Malays, his U-turn on meritocracy and his softening stand on the monarchy.

Now it is the turn of Tun Abdullah Ahmad Badawi, the “Mr Clean” who allowed some of the most corrupt politicians to run wild in his administration, probably the worst in the country’s history.

The man who captured the country’s imagination with his talk of reform in 2004 and swept to office on the back of promising to do what is right for Malaysia. Yes, Malaysia not Umno.

In a short time, he went from a hero to a zero because he abdicated on his campaign promise and only delivered what his party wanted. A party man through and through, give him that much.

His party men said don’t get too close to non-Malays, he said yessir. What mattered to him before he went before the electorate in 2008 was what Umno wanted. (I would suggest the Najib administration don’t get too gleeful about attacking Pakatan’s 100 day reforms because Pak Lah’s 100 day reform plan is somewhere, collecting dust.)

After the electorate told him what they thought of his limp performance, he still stayed on in office and presided over some of the most draconian uses of the ISA, ably assisted by Tan Sri Syed Hamid Albar.

His supporters said he did not know. They even said he wanted to push through reforms but did not have the support.

The more factual explanation is that he was only interested about his party. In retirement, this is becoming even more clear.

Mr Islam Hadhari heads Ikim, which recently relegated all religions except Islam to the position of also-rans.

Then he organises a meeting ostensibly for Malay unity with the Yang diPertuan Agong at the head of the table (this is his most recent attempt at getting PAS to join Umno).

Any observer will conclude that his so-called Malay unity initiative is meant to prise PAS away from Pakatan Rakyat, kill off the opposition and save his beloved party from decline.

Anything in his initiative for the rest of the country? Zero. (I guess MCA and MIC have nothing to say because when it comes to Umno, they have nothing to say).

And now Abdullah is jumping into the fray in Penang and helping the party bandits who are trying to kick up a racist storm about Lim Guan Eng’s political secretary. (So far the allegations have not been supported but it seems a continuation of Umno’s plan to portray state government as anti-Malay)

Never mind that these are the chaps who forced him to step down and trampled on his legacy (read: judicial reforms and Islam Hadhari). Umno can do no wrong so he supports them. What about Malaysia? What about Malaysians?

* Ahmad Sabri is a reader of The Malaysian Insider