DATUK SERI ABDULLAH AHMAD BADAWI

The fifth prime minister of Malaysia is going to end his tenure today. We look at the five years he was in office, I would dare to say that the whole country is in total confusion. There is not a single decision which is certain, people get confused and no longer believe everything until the issue is not mentioned again. Even if it is not mentioned anymore, it doesn't mean it is what it is as a finalized decision. Flip and flop everyday. We take for example things like the rise and fall of petrol fuel prices and the safety belt rule. There are far more.

People said he opened up more democratic space compare to his predecessor. However, there are as many events which unfold that created more tension among the people of the country and the ISA was used as well in many events. Looking back, he lacks leadership and concrete plans to do anything. Everything that is announced is not fully materialized or just at most words without action.

I wonder how history will look at him but I have nothing good to say about him to my next generation. I will sum up his period of rule akin of the time when Moses lead his people in the wilderness for 40 years. We are just going around in circles, no progress. We may just gone through that in 5 years but there is no guarantee we will be out of the wilderness with the next prime minister. The approval ratings for both are extremely low. The Merdeka Center polls' last result gave an approval rating of 45% for the outgoing Prime Minister Abdullah Badawi and 43% for his successor Deputy Prime Minister Datuk Najib Tun Razak.

At best, I can forgive his performance with the death of his wife. However, his speedy marriage just after her death is also confusing me. There you go, confusion is the best word I keep bringing up in describing him. If there is a report card to grade the prime minister, his will be all written in red marks.

All the best after retirement to him, Pak Lah! While we prepare for the entrance of the sixth prime minister! The incoming prime minister has an even lower approval rating than the outgoing prime minister, you and I know what we are expecting!

One thing is clear. When Datuk Seri Abdullah Ahmah Badawi first become the prime minister, he promised great things which caused him to win the election with an incredible mandate. However, the reality set back when all those promises were just talks. Let's see what the new prime minister can promise and whether it will last at all.