Mentor and Successor...

Nothing is more heartening and reassuring than to see Pak Lah and Tun Dr. Mahathir standing together side by side on their way to The Beach Restuarant at the LID venue ( Bernama Picture, NST August 9). Mentor and Protege...But Protege is now King Mosabe ( The Boss). That's politics and that also happens in the working environment when your subordinate or even man/girl-Friday can suddenly become your boss, directly or indirectly......

Both faces reflect a magnanimity and the best spirit of the Islamic code of ethics viz. two old colleagues despite some differences of opinion do not show any rift or ill-feelings towards each other when in the midst of friends and guests. That's more than what I can say about other leaders today, who prefer avoidance rather than meeting up to promote common goals in spite of some divergent views and conviction.

Pak Lah's gesture in extending his facilitations to Tun and Tun Dr.Siti Hasmah on their 51st wedding anniversary and handing over his turn to speak on the last day of the Dialogue, was very gentlemanly to say the least. And Tun's response was simply magnanimous. Those at the Dialogue session who knew both of them must have been jubilant and deeply touched. Just reading about it in the papers makes me so happy because I've had the honour of serving both of them and.... what happened after the crooked bridge project was dropped, had made me very sad. They had complemented each other very well when Paklah was the DPM and to see an ex-boss getting angry with an ex-deputy is something else....

I think all Malaysians hope that the architect of Vision 2020 and the man who now holds the chisel to put the Vision into shape, can continue to work in the spirit of Islamic brotherhood as shown at the LID. With a hindsight of more than 20yrs as PM, Tun Mahathir has certainly a lot of good advice for Paklah. Sure Paklah must have innumerable advisors at his disposal now but Prof. Dr. Yusuf Abdullah al-Qardhawi in his book Fiqh al-Awlawiyyat said that quality must be given priority over quantity in choosing an action and I believe, that applies to getting advice as well. Especially since advice is often free. But it shouldn't come from the "inner circle" only.....Must have the "ad" element or it can become something else!

Hey, I'm straying. Here's to a happy and productive relationship between a great mentor and a great successor! My unreserved respect for both.