Let's not forget the reason why Najib Razak is in the driver's seat. Abdullah Ahmad Badawi was ousted before his expiry date. If Najib fails to deliver, he may end up like his predecessor; another 100 days will be telling.

I refer to 'Democratization: 10 KPIs for Najib's next 100 days'. It is a brilliant suggestion that enables us to gauge the pulse of the government's leadership and check the health and fitness of its management of the nation. 

The KPIs measure vital points that will make the difference between a flawed administration and a fair, open and accountable one.

Prime Minister Najib Razak should avoid stepping into his predecessor's political grave of lost opportunities. Whatever personal allegations he faces, he still owes it to the nation to prove he is their worthy leader and the 'list of ten' is a good test of his leadership, which one hopes he passes for all our sakes.

In fact every electorate ought to have a list of performance indicators to evaluate their members of parliament. In this way accountability is not a mere idea but measuring rod of the politician's performance (much like a student's report card), which for obvious reasons, should be prepared not by the government but those who are outside it.

Najib is intelligent, eloquent, and appears a presentable leader, but does he have the personal integrity, character, vision and drive to outperform his predecessors and fend off capable challengers like Anwar Ibrahim and other rising opposition figures?

Cure the cancer of corruption

Competition does bring out the best or worst of those who want desperately to win or cling to power. The days of insuperable political monopoly are over and every political party has to perform or face a voter backlash. There are now viable choices but the opposition has to win in an uneven playing field with shifting goalposts, changing rules and unfair referees.

For too long Malaysians have lived with the administrative flaws which no one should ignore or deny, least of all those who are directly responsible and can effect their remedy. It is time for serious renovation of a jaded administration with too much unhealthy fat and deadwood, sinking under the weight of allegations of corruption and incompetence.

Najib is positioned to redeem the past and present and insure the future but will he, and more importantly, can he?

In the war on corruption, he seems to have failed according to former premier, Dr Mahathir Mohamad, who at a function at the Perdana Leadership Foundation said, "Sorry to say that. But, it doesn't look like he is (fighting corruption)" the Malaysian Mirror reported.

Perhaps that will ultimately decide the fate of the nation, if no one can cure the cancer and destroy the mother of ills in the country, it is missing the point. Treating the symptoms is not the same as curing the sickness.

Many Malaysians no longer want a corrupt and mediocre administration. How those KPIs will be measured will be interesting but I guess the proof is in the pudding.

In the most simplistic way, citizens can gauge if there are improvements when they actually deal with the system. Will the courts be fair? Will the police act professionally? Will business people obtain contracts without bribery? Will corruption be investigated? And so on.

Whatever the reports tell us, it is still the people who know the truth from their daily encounters with the government. Time will tell.

Can Najib if Mahathir couldn't?

Obviously the list of 10 KPIs is not exhaustive. For example, one sees the glaring cracks in the plaster of bureaucracy, though not included in the list.

In the 1980s, Dr Mahathir Mohammed, in a marvellous stroke of genius, contrived the 'Clean, Efficient and Trustworthy' (Bersih, Cekap dan Amanah) slogan which captured the nation's imagination, even if nothing else came after that.

Sadly like many of the man's bright ideas, it fizzled out without achieving the much hyped aim. In fact, corruption became worse, and we have seen public servants become the public bane when they demand bribes for doing their jobs, and many of the high officials, e.g. in the immigration and tourism departments facing graft charges, and a royal commission has damned the police force as an institution of festering corruption.

Recently a US Senate Committee blacklisted Malaysia for human trafficking. Australia too is concerned Malaysia does not develop into a transit point for illegal human traffickers sending riff-raff to its shores, so Prime Minister Kevin Rudd recently made a lightning visit to Malaysia to parley with his counterpart. Immigration bureaucrats once more will be in the spotlight.

That Dr Mahathir is still displeased with corrupt leaders in Najib's cabinet is cause for concern. And as worrying is the fact some of them are still playing the race card and championing the sort of chauvinistic ideas the opposition denounces and Malaysians now reject. Corruption and bigotry may yet be dragons not even Najib can slay if Mahathir himself had failed. But that was a different era.

A few outstanding issues

The Petronas Twin Towers weren't built in a day and whoever renovates the government can't be expected to make dramatic changes overnight. But a good leader may still expedite critical reforms, especially when some longstanding issues such as police brutality and death in custody and violent crimes persist.

Things have gotten worse and worse over the years and public safety has become a grave concern. Crimes unimaginable years ago are now commonplace and living conditions in Malaysia have become rather precarious.

The umbrella 'list of ten' will demand that the government does not circumvent the most critical issues.

Then there is the problem of curtailment of religious freedom. It is indeed a joke that zealous religious authorities have banned the Christian use of the term 'Allah' – a pre-Islamic word to describe God, used commonly in the Middle East for a long time, and even today.

In the past, governments had to tell their citizens not to do the wrong things. But now we have citizens telling their governments.

Even our former prime minister has got into the act though his role is somewhat of an enigma to everyone especially the government. But sometimes it is not the messenger but the message that counts, even if it is from the mouth of one whom many Malaysians hold accountable for many of the country's problems, and these exacerbated by his dictatorial approach.

Recently in the UK, the MPs' expenses scandal rocked Britain and many sitting members face imminent ousting if they haven't already quit. Suddenly ordinary citizens are willing to stand as independents against the party politicians at the next polls. The citizens are in a public outrage at the dishonest allowances claims.

How was that possible?

Thanks to a whistleblower, the systemic flaw that enabled politicians to pad their expense accounts was exposed. To the credit of the British, many of the culpable Mps fell on their own swords while others walked the plank.

A commentator said if it were the French they would have guillotined their dishonest politicians while the Italians may have simply sighed. And us Malaysians? We would just gawk at the politicians' sprawling palatial mansions.

The golden goose less gilded

It is only when politicians can be held to account that a country can lay claim to being democratic. Time is running out for corrupt politicians to rule the roost and escape accountability. It no longer is about politics but the safeguarding of the nation's assets and its national integrity.

It is about the future of the nation. Malaysia has come of age.

The country now sees some of the best brains in and out of the country who are willing to pressure for change, work with or against the government, join vocal civil groups or be outspoken themselves, collaborate with a viable opposition, and this combination of activities together with a rising critical mass are necessary pre-requisites for broad social and political change.

If the government is clever, it will know how to regard dissenters and critics of itself as a friend. If the government has the maturity to invite criticism and not be insensible to the people's clamour for transparency, it will go a long way in proving its sincerity in wanting to see a nation developed for all.

Political leaders must themselves come of age and realise that the day of unbridled power and selfish ambitions are over, and that politics cannot be relied on as the goose that lays the golden eggs for self and sycophants. Leaders must come to their senses before it is too late.

In time Malaysians will expect a higher standard of performance from their politicians. And like the repealed FDI 30 per cent equity, old rules will have to make way for a fairer and better system out of sheer necessity.

When there is good governance the citizens will benefit.

Poverty often is the orphan of bad and corrupt governance and no citizen deserves to be born into suffering in a democracy. A good leader can make the difference. Politicians that do not perform must perish at the ballot box and deservedly so.