WHY ABDULLAH IS CLINGING ON

Singapore Straits Times: A question that is being asked again and again since the March general elections is: Why doesn't Prime Minister Datuk Seri Abdullah Badawi just quit?

He did promise Malaysians improved policing, a better judiciary system, and better rule of law, opening up the media, reducing corruption, etc.Sadly, under him, crime has jumped, the judiciary remains shaky, the tough Internal Security Act law had just been unleashed again, the mainstream media is used to spin stories not write facts, and corruption seems to have gotten worse.

Added to these - race relations and the economy have also taken a beating.There are actually good reasons, from his perspective, why he does not want to step down quickly.* Umno is in a mess, with the ground angry, confused and scared of losing power.*

The civil servants are in disarray too on whether, and how far, they should help these four Pakatan states or not.Four, and not five, because after 18 years under Pas, federal civil servants in Kelantan know how to play the game.

But one word, perhaps, sums up what he why he wants to stay on: Legacy.(Of course, there is also a very good reason why he SHOULD step down also - namely, so that Umno could re-unite under a stronger leader, Deputy PM Datuk Seri Najib Razak).

But look at it from Abdullah's point of view - he cannot afford to step down now as he would be forever seen as the prime minister who did almost nothing.

Yes, he launched all those corridors. Yes, he did somehow, and without having real control, did open up the media space.

But he would want to go down in history as having achieved something tangible, something solid even.

Don't we all? Put yourself in his position - would you leave when you see things are not right?He sees himself as a responsible person who should put things right first.

The unkind view would be that he did not want to step down because the people behind him want him there so that could remain in power too.

And that those who wanted to cling on include his family who are allegedly also profiting from his staying in power.

Now let us return to why Abdullah is not quitting.

He had said he will contest the December Umno elections and wanted to exit only in mid-2010, and that too under pressure.

He might now not contest the December polls and might quit before that.Reverse a few days earlier, and people would remember him saying he wanted to 'put things right' before passing on the baton to Najib.Obviously, he does not want to be known only as the fifth Prime Minister, the first one that did not have anything to show for it.

The Premier with no legacy. How then would they remember him? Making a joke that he would be remembered as Father of Kamaluddin and Father (in-law) of KJ, is easy enough.

Kamaluddin is his businessman son, while KJ, Khairy Jamaluddin, is his politically-ambitious son-in-law. So Abdullah does indeed need the two years to 2010 to stamp his name on policies and issues.

But from what Malaysians have seen in the last five years, few people seriously think that he can do anything at all. They say: If he could not and did not achieve anything while he was strong, how could he do it now when he is much weakened?And today, sadly, almost everyone has started their countdown to his exit. -