In the wake of the March 8 political earthquake, a journalist from Radio Singapore International expressed to me his shock at the scale of the Opposition wins at the state and national levels. He was also particularly concerned about the future of Prime Minister Abdullah Ahmad Badawi.

“A moderate, well-mannered and amicable Malaysian leader like Abdullah will always be treasured by Singaporeans from all walks of life. He would be sorely missed if forced out of office,” he said.