I refer to the letter Hypocrisy in Davos . I think Richard Teo has got it wrong. The person he should be taking pot-shots at should be our 'beloved' ex-premier Dr M.

Dr M had much more than 22 years in the administration of Malaysia - from Tun Abdul Razak's time to his stepping down from office a few years ago and which he apparently has still not 'retired' from yet. Witness his continual nagging and harping on how the country should be run. If Teo were to take a larger perspective, he would see that the blatant apartheid system practised in Malaysia can be traced to one man, and that would be the 'hero' (to people of his same values, convictions and ilk), ex-PM Dr M.

Hypocrisy? His latest 'Expose War Crimes - Criminalise War' conference must be the ultimate. These platitudes from a man whose sectarian bellicosity and racialism against his own citizens for so many years is just unbelievable. Whenever this man hits out at Singapore, who do you think he is hitting out yet?

I would suggest that Teo show some courage and take issue where the issue is. If you wish to shout 'hypocrisy', Prime Minister Abdullah Ahamd Badawi is not the man. Aim it at his predecessor. I think if Teo had made such remarks while the ex-premier was still in the PM's chair, he would surely now be in Kamunting. So give credit where credit is due.

For my two cents worth, I had been worried whether Abdullah would have the steely determination beneath his gentlemanly demeanour to run Malaysia. As a concerned citizen, I would say he has come through this acid test with flying colours. His deft handling of Dr M's case shows him to be indeed a man of strong character. Lesser men would have been tempted and succumbed into childish public bickering with the out-of-office citizen Dr M. If Abdullah can handle this difficult man well, I don't see why he should not be able to handle any other more serious issue equally well.

For what it's worth, let me say this: give him - Abdullah that is - time. Surely we know a turn-around job in any large organisation for example, is no easy task. Unless one is blind, you should be able to see many changes and a dismantling of this apartheid system constructed by Dr M, albeit perhaps not as fast as you would like to see it. Remember, 'Rome was not built in a day'. Similarly, the people put in place and groomed by Dr M during his pro-apartheid days are not likely to go away immediately just like that.

But the process has already started for some time. The Malays are a good people. Mingle with them and you will find they are not all crooks, pirates, gangsters, corrupted, materialistic, power hungry and what-have-you. Personally, I have seen the fruits of Abdullah's 'human capital' approach and I am glad to see the broad-mindedness of a people infused with knowledge. Such things augur well for the future. The next generation especially.

Last but not least, when I say such a thing as 'Let's give him time', in essence, it says what kind of man he is. A great man seeks not glory and servitude. He seeks to lift up others lesser than him. I have a good feel about Abdullah and I think it is possible he will be a great if not one of the best prime ministers of Malaysia will see or have seen.