If there is one thing to remember about Badawi, it’s how he reformed Malaysia’s one party democracy to the road of multiple parties democracy and to the power of the people.

Without being disrespectful, Badawi did it all the way "sleeping" with little or no interference.

Unlike his predecessor Mahathir who did ‘everything’ himself, even choosing the bolts and nuts to be used for constructing the Twin Towers.

Of course both are exaggerations but they illustrate the point I am trying to make.

• During Mahathir’s rule, Mahathir thought what was best for the country and acted upon his ideas.
   
• During Badawi’s rule, Badawi opened the way for Malaysia to be governed by the power of the people.

It’s clear that in a political landscape where a man like Mahathir oversees everything, there is little or no place for new forces to form to oppose the government.

• The latter would be acceptable when such a central government erases all the causes for an opposition to be formed.
   
• The latter is unacceptable when a central government erases all opposition to be formed.

However, sleeping his way through parliament wasn’t ideal to speed up the process of transparency and putting a hold to corruption.

But then, how to rule a country when everybody is asking you to go?

Badawi has been subtle in changing the political landscape. Just like Badawi loves farming, it seems he cleared the field for a ‘multi parties democracy’ to grow.

How much you criticize Badawi for not doing much, you must understand that clearing a field of all weeds takes lots and lots of energy and during the weeding process you aren’t harvesting anything.

And when Badawi planned to clear the political weeds in 8 years, it could be very volatile that at the moment the field has just been cleared: another planter takes over…

That’s having done all the dirty work and then seeing your new land taken away from you by somebody else.

• We hope that Badawi has put very strong seeds in Malaysia’s democratic soil that can withstand any new farmer using even the strongest weed-killers.
   
• We also hope that the few plants Badawi planted during his legacy, won’t be uprooted by his successors.

Badawi’s legacy is clear though: plant the trees of a new democracy: as Badawi’s trees will grow even when Badawi is sleeping.

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