FOR those of us who have had the privilege and benefit of knowing this commoner, as Tun Musa Hitam describes himself in his new book, Frankly Speaking, he is anything but common.
The fact is that he has left an indelible mark on his country, and history, I am confident, will judge him as such. As for the title of his book, again, for those who have come to know him, Musa has never shied away from being frank. Has that been an asset? Or has that been the reason why, as some have said, he was the best prime minister Malaysia never had? That again is perhaps best left for history to judge. But as Musa says in his foreword, there will be brickbats and there will be bouquets; and somewhere in between the pages of this book, readers will find the insights of a man who was a hair’s breadth away from becoming the fifth prime minister of Malaysia, but walked away.