I would agree that we should not have Najib Tun Razak as deputy prime minister just because his late great father did our country a lot of good as the second prime minister.

I fully believe that the new prime minister Abdullah Ahmad Badawi should pick his new deputy based on votes in Umno and on their merit. I personally do not like Najib's record as defense minister, but as a menteri besar of Pahang, I would like to give him credit where credit is due.

Najib, as MB, fired a local council chief after a church belonging to Proto-Malay Orang Asli was demolished. He showed he cared for all indigenous people of the country like his late, great father did.

Not many politicians have to date stood up for the Orang Asli, not even the outgoing PM. It was very sad that Khalil Yaakob, Najib's successor as MB, screwed up the environment big time and did nothing for the Orang Asli.

Under Najib, the Cameron Highlands lake/dam was so beautifully green. Under Khalil, it became teh tarik. Khalil will never be my choice for deputy. He may be the Umno secretary-general, thus high-ranking, but he is just not the right man.

Between Najib and Muhyiddin Yassin, the two Umno vice presidents in the running for deputy, my support is for the latter. He is doing a good job busting VCD piracy and he is a far better as a domestic trade and consumer affairs minister than his predecessors, Abu Hassan Omar and the laughable Megat Junid Megat Ayob.

As far as competency is concerned, I think Umno Wanita chief Rafidah Aziz is good. But as the DPM will eventually succeed the PM, I would say no. Rafidah cannot be a good PM to me because of her authoritarian streak. She might become another Gloria Arroyo or Margaret Thatcher - brainy but iron-fisted, and not what we need. Nevertheless, she is my sole candidate for finance minister replacing Dr Mahathir.

I always want to see Dr Mahathir as the last authoritarian leader of Malaysia. The days of the strongman are over.