voice of thorrinre

by Kalimullah Hassan

KUALA LUMPUR, Oct 30:
It was a year of sorrow and a year of triumph.

It was a year of success and a year of targets unattained.It had also been a hectic year, with never enough time for all he wanted to do. So little time for old friends and, sometimes, even less for his own family.But overall, Datuk Seri Abdullah Ahmad Badawi says his first 12 months as Prime Minister of Malaysia "have been good".In the year ahead, he wants to ensure that the policies he introduced start showing results, as this is "what the public expects".In an exclusive two-hour interview with the New Sunday Times and Berita Minggu at his residence, Abdullah looked back at the year past as Malaysia’s top public servant and hoped he had done well by the people and the country.It has not been all hunky dory, Abdullah readily admits.He is still not happy with the public delivery system. Nor is he satisfied with the progress in the fight against corruption. He still complains about government services."Unfortunately, these things take time. I know that many people will be impatient with that answer but, as I have said, the process is on-going."I admit that people’s hopes have been raised because I always talk about the need for a better delivery system. Our civil service is generally good and efficient."We would not have been able to achieve what we have if they were as slow and inefficient as some people made them out to be."In many cases, some bad hats tarnish the image of the whole service. But we will keep working to improve. I will see to it that there are results," he promised.Abdullah is also unhappy with the progress in the fight against corruption."No. I am not happy, although I know the ACA (Anti-Corruption Agency) is working very hard. This year, it is opening more investigations, receiving more reports."It is working hard but if you want justice, you cannot hurry. Some big cases take a long time. Before you can charge a man in court, you have to have very strong evidence. You cannot prosecute a person on hearsay or flimsy evidence. You must be sure before you proceed (to prosecute). But the bottom line is that we must never stop battling corruption."But there have also been many successes despite the adversities.The most difficult thing, Abdullah said, was managing the deficit and at the same time, ensuring that there was economic growth."I will leave it for the people to judge but I think it is a good sign that the economy has grown 7.8 per cent for the first half of the year without pump-priming, while unemployment and inflation have remained low."But it’s not just (the) growth. For example, we have managed to start many things. We set up the Royal Commission on the Police. We have instituted a National Integrity Plan and established the Malaysian Institute of Integrity." I have given the go-ahead for the setting up of the ACA Academy."We have launched efforts to improve counter service at the Immigration Department, for example."We have started reform in education."We have sent out flying squads to improve administration of the Land Office."The Prime Minister lamented that there were not enough hours in a day for him to do all that he wanted to do. "Being Prime Minister, I think I have more work now than at any time before. (Laughs) I thought this was the time when I could just ask people to do the work and I supervised from a distance. But it doesn’t work that way, I suppose."For things to work, it has to be leadership by example. If I am to live by that philosophy, then I must work hard in order for others to also work hard," he said.The lack of time is something that Abdullah is painfully aware of.For the major part of this year, his wife, Datin Seri Endon Mahmood, has been battling cancer. But save for a few days mid-year, Abdullah had not been able to be with her while she underwent treatment.Just days before his mother, Datuk Kailan Hassan, passed away, she came to Kuala Lumpur to be with him, but he managed to spend only a few hours with her. She returned to Kepala Batas and, a day later, died.Abdullah said he was affected by Endon’s illness and his inability to be with her. The passing of his mother, to whom he was very attached, was "quite difficult".But still, he said, there were happier moments.What was his happiest day in the first year? He grinned playfully and said: "Winning the elections …"Abdullah led the Barisan Nasional to its best ever electoral victory since Independence, winning more than 90 per cent of all seats contested and delivering a crushing blow to the opposition Parti Islam and Keadilan."We have had a successful general election, and the Umno elections are now over. Malaysia remains stable and peaceful. "The people have given us their support. The response from overseas — from the investors and the media — has been good. Our relationships (with other countries) have been good and friendly, too."Alhamdulillah (Praise be to Allah). Overall, I think it has been a good year."Abdullah was in a light-hearted mood, bantering with his special assistants, Kamal Khalid and Zaki Zahid, during the interview.His aides, who represent the younger generation of well educated and successful professionals, include Dr Vincent Lim, his political secretary, who left shortly before the interview.He later took Berita Harian Group Editor Hishamuddin Aun, a first-time visitor to his house, on a guided tour to see his herbal garden, walking stick collection and his prized koi (carp) collection.At the end, the last question posed was, what was his dream for Malaysia five years down the road?"I want a Malaysia that is peaceful and more advanced. A Malaysia that is united, a place where its people are given the space to excel in everything they do. "I want Malaysia to be closer to achieving the objectives of Vision 2020."