Unearthing sleazy dealings between errant corporate bigwigs and wayward politicians is easier said than done. Both sides gain from such illicit transactions, so don't expect anyone to talk. Try asking anyone in Umno.

Despite all the hot air on money politics (read: vote buying) in that's party's recent polls, not a single soul has yet to come forward to finger the wrongdoers. Clearly, given the consequences, few would dare.

One Umno leader even mooted some sort of a witness protection programme for whistleblowers - such is the depths of desperation roiling the country's premier political party.

But sometimes a very rare sometimes - we do get lucky. This could come in the form of a document dropped into our mailbox, a phone call from a total stranger, or more likely these days, an anonymous email.

That was how we stumbled on the Iraq Survey Group report.

The report - the work of a team set up to probe for weapons of mass destruction - failed to unearth any WMD in Iraq but found a long list of those, including one 'Abdullah Badawi', who had profited from Saddam Hussein's oil-for-food programme.

This came as a shock to Malaysians. After all, Prime Minister Abdullah Ahmad Badawi has a reputation of being a clean, upright and no-nonsense leader.

Abdullah's Iraqgate

A bemused Abdullah said he had no idea why his name was on the list, but conceded he did sign 'endorsement' letters for a string of companies vying for a piece of the lucrative project - getting Iraqi oil at below market prices and reselling it with a hefty profit.

He did not give further details on Malaysian companies embroiled in this 'Iraqgate'. We know one is owned by a son of a former chief minister and another by an ex-ambassador who was close to Abdullah when he was foreign minister.

Deputy premier Najib Abdul Razak said it is normal for ministers to ink letters to support bids by certain companies for government projects. But normal doesn't necessarily mean right - only the chosen few get red-carpet treatment at the doors of our ministries.

The least Abdullah should do is to reveal these letters which he had purportedly signed. The PM has said, time and again, he wants to change, among others, the way we do business. Indeed, he would need to show leadership by example.

By now, he would have realised that walking the talk is not quite a cake walk. Take, for example, the case of his Works Minister S Samy Vellu.

If politicians were to be held accountable for their follies, the veteran MIC leader should have stepped down for any one of the many scandals which dogged him over the two decades he has been in government.

Not surprisingly, his supporters have resorted to brandishing the racial card to thwart the mounting calls for his resignation. Why attack an Indian government leader when the ruling BN MPs did not demand for other leaders to resign for similar transgressions, they ask.

There is a ring of truth in this. But we're not one for such double standards. Over the years, we have asked ex-Umno leader Dr Mahathir Mohamad to quit. We have asked former MCA chief Ling Liong Sik to do likewise, too.

Now it's time for Samy Vellu to bow out. And he need not worry too much about his retirement - a BN-style Tunship is awaiting him, mark our words.

Old habits

For those who care to observe, the signs are there that Abdullah's people are not working with him. They are not even working for him. Some, in fact, are working against him. For this old guard, old habits die hard.

The furor over an anonymous posting on Jeff Ooi's Screenshot blog is telling. Compare that posting to the incendiary remarks by Badaruddin Amiruldin at the Umno general assembly and the irony couldn't be more startling.

One was a seasoned politician, the other an 'unknown' blogger. One hurled veiled threats of violence against ethnic minorities at a party meeting, the other unwittingly allowed a posting by an anonymous individual disparaging Islam Hadhari. One was given a rousing applause; the other was mauled by the mainstream media.

Today marks Abdullah's one year in power. Can the personable premier cash in on his public goodwill and keep his party opponents at bay? That remains to be seen. For now, he gets a B+ for Effort, and a C- for Substance from us. We may not be so generous next year.

This much we can all agree - Abdullah has an almost insurmountable task to reform Umno. Which brings to mind an interesting anecdote.

In the run-up to the party's polls some 10 years ago, former Umno vice-president Sanusi Junid was with then incumbent deputy president Ghafar Baba at a party division meeting in Sabah.

The division had pledged to nominate Ghafar, who was facing a fierce challenge by up-and-coming party leader Anwar Ibrahim, as the party's No 2. But the division failed to deliver on its promise because the ' division leader was given a bag of money'.

According to Sanusi, the leader later apologised but Ghafar took it all in his stride.

"Ghafar said had he known the division leader could be bought, he would have brought an even bigger bag of money!"

Yes, eradicating money politics in Umno will be tough - and we are not even talking about vote-buying in the next general election.