Happiest Prime Minister

Our first Prime Minister, the late Tunku Abdul Rahman once said when he was still in office:`` I am the happiest Prime Minister.''
But towards the end of his premiership, he admitted that he was no longer the happiest Prime Minister. It was after the May 13, 1969 incident. Soon after, university students demonstrated against him, calling him to step down from his post.
Tunku in his book May 13: Before and After, suggested that a nasty letter written by Mahathir Mohamad (member of Majlis Tertinggi UMNO) had aroused the hatred against him. The letter was sent to Tunku and thousands of copies were circulated, including to universities. As we all know, Tunku retired not long after. But he harboured permanent ill-feeling towards Mahathir who later became our fourth Prime Minister. During his premiership, Mahathir once met Tunku and kissed his hand in public. That picture was front-paged in all newspapers.
And now we have another happy Prime Minister, Datuk Seri Abdullah Ahmad Badawi who prefered to be addressed as Pak Lah. He is happy because he had found a new wife after two years of lonely life since his beloved first wife, Datin Seri Endon passed away.
Looking at his pictures in the newspapers after the marriage to Datin Seri Jeanne Abdullah was solemnised on June 9 (Saturday), Pak Lah certainly exudes the mood and aura of the happiest man in Malaysia though he never says it.
On that note, I pray to Allah that he will serve as a happy Prime Minister untill his retirement day. And don't be like Tun Mahathir who seems not to be happy after his retirement. If Tun Mahathir is happy, he won't speak ill of others. He attacked Tunku before and Pak Lah now. Maybe he intended his criticism in the the interest of our country, but the damage caused by his harsh and uncalled-for comments is greater than he realised.
One example is his allegation that Pak Lah owns a RM60-millions house in Australia which turned out to untrue. Of course he made a public apology in the newspapers, but damage has been done. And Mahathir knew very well of Allah's prohibition on slander (fitnah) as stated in the Quran. Most important is for Mahathir not to repeat the same mistake. If he commits it again, he is what the Quran defines as a non-believer or people without iman.
I too love Mahathir for the great things that he had done to our country. So Tun Mahathir, let me cherish the memory of you forever as a great man, not as a slanderer who according to the Quran is a greater sinner than a murderer.
I write this note not because I love Pak Lah more, but I feel that all our Prime Ministers should be respected utmost at all time, even after their retirement. Unless they are proven to commit crime, than say not a bad word of them. Slandering them is worst than taking away their lives. And this is becoming far too common these days, especially in the Internet, a new medium that gives absolute power to write freely. Maybe absolute freedom, also corrupts absolutely.