pak lah playing with fire?

Our Prime Minister Abdullah Badawi has certainly made headlines over the past few weeks.

First, MITI minister Rafidah Aziz adamantly refused to reveal the list of AP receipients, claiming that it was not government policy to do so. Days later, Abdullah ordered MITI to publish the lists, and lo-behold it was out in the open for the public's consumption. Never had the Malaysian people seen such a list, and as much as they were infuriated with Rafidah for benefiting her close "relatives", the Rakyat cheered for Pak Lah for the apparent transparency.

Days ago, Deputy PM Najib Abdul Razak refused to reveal the API (air pollution index) amidst worsening haze conditions, insisting that the government will be the one to placate Malaysians with generic terms such as "moderate air quality". One day later, Abdullah ordered the API to be released with immediate effect, thus bringing the information that much closer to the public! Three cheers for the People, but a mood of uncertainty for Pak Lah.

I wonder if he will be doing this in the long run, or will he be making enemies throughout his cabinet. If Pak Lah can bring on so much change in events such as the AP issue and the haze issue, there is hope yet for issues related to national unity, namely the NEP/NNA and interfaith understanding.