Prime Minister material: Who makes the grade - Written by : Selena Tay, Malaysia Chronicle

With the 13th General Election just around the corner, here is a look at the potential candidates from both sides of the divide for the post of Prime Minister. Th list excludes the incumbent, Najib Razak, as much has already been written about him and his lacklustre administration.

We take a look at the future and also at what could have been but is not - due to the rakyat's stupor. Will they be awakened in GE-13?

Anwar Ibrahim

From Pakatan Rakyat we have Opposition Leader Anwar Ibrahim. Former deputy prime minister, one-time Acting Prime Minister and a star Finance minister. His sound knowledge in finance and economy is enough reason that he should be Prime Minister. That BN is so afraid of him and want to destroy him at all cost is already all the testimony Malaysians need. The more UMNO attacks, the louder it speaks of Anwar's capabilities.

Azmin Ali

Should Anwar become indisposed for one reason or other, then Azmin Ali is also a possible choice although there are many who still doubt his ability because of his youth and relative lack of previous high-ranking position in the government. But what experience did Nizar Jamaluddin, Azizan Abdul Razak, Khalid Ibrahim or even Lim Guan Eng have when they took over the top slots in their state. One thing though, Azmin is the type who can step-up his performance. His is a serious personality.

If PKR candidates do not snare the Prime Minister's post for one reason or other, then PAS leaders can fulfill the role. So too can DAP. Have not Lim Kit Siang, Karpal Singh and Lim Guan Eng sacrificed and contributed enough to the nation?

But let's take one step at a time or Pakatan Rakyat will never reach Putrajaya. The journey to the administrative is for the sole aim of transforming Malaysia into a better nation - not for personal ambition or achievement.

Pakatan must be idealistic and hold firm to principles at all costs. But they cannot be too optimistic and believe that they can rid the nation of 5 decades of entrenched racism, religious bigotry and corruption in one day, or they will make themselves dizzy with their own speed.

However, the Federal Consititution is clear and Pakatan has pledged to uphold it. There is no bar to any citizen from any race, color or creed becoming PM so long as his fellow citizens willingly support his quest.

Lim Kit Siang

He may be 70-years old and suffer from impaired vision after a botched cataract operation. He has also been accused of being cunning and sly and on the look-out for his own benefit. If that is the case, he should have fled to Singapore decades ago. A guy with his talents would have made it through the ranks of the PAP. Why did he stay and slug it out, always having to live prudently, wearing his short-sleeved-shirts and gelled-back hair? Always needing to take extra care in everything he did because the BN was always monitoring him, always trying to 'expose' him.

Why do guys like him go on - each time he is battered down, he bounces back. If it is not something intangible called love, love for the people of Malaysia, then we don't know what it is. But gratitude aside, can he govern all the races, especially the Malays? Can he step aside from his 'Mr Opposition' mould? If his son Lim Guan Eng can transit so smoothly into the post of Penang CM, it would probably be a cinch for the elder Lim.

Karpal Singh

When you are in trouble, go to Karpal for help. He will extend a hand especially if it is legal in nature. He may be terribly outspoken especially for his age, how many men in their seventies would still raise their voices for ideals. Most men and women would have forgotten by then, but not Karpal.

Under him, Malaysia may turn into a giant courtroom, but you can sure the likes of Gani Patail won't make the grade. Malaysia's judiciary now in disgrace would fly high again and so would the country's morale. Doubts though as to his economic and administrative know-how.

Nik Aziz Nik Mat

Quite safe to say, everyone looks up to him except some of the BN people. His wisdom should help to anchor the country as it undergoes tremendous reforms. But age and frail health may make this Spiritual Adviser reject the post. This is one guy who is not in it for personal gain or glory.

Hadi Awang

The PAS president is an automatic choice too. A stern personality and a well-travelled man capable of governing Malaysia. At the moment, his weakest point is that few people, including PAS members, know about his 'human' side. This is the challenge that he faces. Malaysia needs to go forward not backward. Hadi needs to share with Malaysians that he understands their need and that he has his thumb on the pulse of the nation. Not just understand the Muslims but also the non-Muslims. Not just the Malays but all the other ethnicities.

Nizar Jamaluddin

One of the popular PAS candidates to helm the nation is former Perak Menteri Besar and current Bukit Gantang MP, Nizar Jamaluddin who is also widely popular among the Chinese. During his 11-month tenure as chief minister, the Auditor-General's Report singled out Perak for praise and commended Nizar's administration as thrifty, efficient and well-run. Nizar is known to start work at 8 am when he was the Menteri Besar, and he clocked in early to get things up and running.

Khalid Samad

Another popular PAS candidate is Shah Alam MP Khalid Samad. The BN MPs in Parliament are still mad at him because in the last session in December, he compared BN's plagiarising of the economic ideas in Pakatan's Buku Jingga as being similar to that of another artist copying Leonardo da Vinci's Mona Lisa. Which actually means, BN's copy comes up short and of course no way can it match up to the original!

That was a real stinger for the BN MPs and they are still wounded to the extent that in this year's Parliament before the Sarawak polls, Khalid was labelled the 'Big Satan' by Kinabatangan MP, the 'sexist' Bung Moktar Radin.

Dzulkefly Ahmad

PAS and Kuala Selangor MP Dzulkefly Ahmad is also Prime Minister-material but he is the type who prefers to focus his time and energy researching and writing analytical masterpieces on politics, economics and strategies. He is widely acknowledged as an intellectual but gets on well with people of all races and from all walks of life.

Pakatan's men have the looks to go with the power

All the Pakatan candidates listed above have got style, finesse and panache. But more than that, all of them, including the young-looking Azmin Ali have firm jawlines and forceful faces. This indicates that they are capable of wielding power wisely.

Muhyiddin Yassin

On the BN side, if the future Prime Minister after Najib is the current deput, Muhyiddin Yassin, then the future of Malaysia may reflect his trademark dour facial expression. Will it be like a Malaysia under Ghafar Baba would have been - dull as dishwater? The late Ghafar, while a respected DPM, was not known for sizzling vision.

As for Muhyiddin, he looks a bit more lively than Ghafar but far from energetic besides not exuding an air of vibrancy unlike Nizar, who always looks fresh and raring to go. Final verdict: sad to say, Muhyiddin looks as if he has just returned from a 10-year war on the battlefield. Enough said.

Hishammuddin Hussein

As for Hishammuddin Hussein, the way he handles the Home Ministry will be the way he runs the nation - biased practices, double-standards, flip-flops and incompetent decisions will be the order of the day becaue of his pandering to his party.

In the recent 'Christian-state' issue, his Ministry only gave Utusan Malaysia a slap on the wrist for publishing false news that can disrupt religious disharmony. In the case where the High Court ruled that the Catholic Church's publication 'The Herald' could use the terminology of Allah in its Bahasa Malaysia section, he could not contain the rabble-rousers who wanted to hold protests. That was in January 2010.

In 2011, his handling of the impounded Bibles saga was far from satisfactory and he denigraded the Bible by saying it could be 'smelly' if kept for a long time thereby insulting the Christians as well. To many Malaysians, he will always be the 'smelly Bibles' guy. How to be respected as a prime minister then?

Scouring through the list, it looks like the BN candidates will have difficulty in holding a candle to the Pakatan men. In areas of competency and administrative know-how, in the looks and presentation department as well as in the all-important sincerity and down-to-earth division.

Oddly, the best of Ketuanan Melayu or Malay Supremacy is also in Pakatan Rakyat.

This is when Malay supremacy means the very best in brains, character, looks, discernment, intention and capability are concerned.

Not the rabid shoving-down-your-throat "I am better because I am Malay" or "This country is ours because we control the Army, Navy and Airforce" or "This country belongs to us because we have taken the trouble to re-write the History" as espoused by the likes of another Malay leader Ibrahim Ali.

By the way, what about Ibrahim Ali's chances? Anyone would want to venture a guess?

- Malaysia Chronicle Posted by Firdaus Omar