AUG 8 — A man who felt he was too big for a small island competes for mentions against another who was not quite the political wizard but had his years at the top with varying success and an army of critics.

Singapore’s first prime minister, Lee Kuan Yew, has first-time "writer", Malaysia’s fifth prime minister, Tun Abdullah Ahmad Badawi, for company, and their books are hitting the shelves on either side of the Causeway. (Abdullah has released a book of poems but I’ll exclude it from the count.)

One man’s view of the world and “Awakenings: The Abdullah Badawi years in Malaysia", have already captured the attention, even if not the imagination, of the general public as expected.

Harry’s new book

Singapore is poised to be the richest country per capita by 2050 and at the same time a thriving education hub for locals and foreigners, among other things. An oasis unshaken by the madness of the world.

Which is why it is perplexing why its main architect is also the chief critic of Malaysia, devoting reams of paper to admonish his northern neighbour. Surely Harry Lee Kuan Yew would be far too occupied waxing lyrical about his wonder state, or wouldn't he be?

Well there’s a huge reason for it.

While Lee defined Singapore, unfortunately in a manner which has turned into a love-hate bond, Malaysia defines Lee.

He lobbied hard for the creation of Malaysia, far more than Malaya-Sabah-Sarawak that completed the original quintet, and must have seen September 16, 1963 a personal triumph.

Two years later ejected from federation, he bottled his personal opinions about Malaysia while leading his new fragile republic. He had to as we remained a major trading partner.

But in the last decade or so, out of government, Lee has continued to let it out, telling what he thinks about the Malaysia of the past and present, and prophesises about our future.

I can’t blame him, but he is not the most objective when it comes to Malaysia. We continue to haunt him, and in a roundabout way he has to constantly justify to himself that while the decision to omit his island was not his choice, that it was a blessing. Lee's sweeping generalisations are always never welcome, but arriving at a time where all is hardly well in the country, these new pearls in his latest books are even more unwelcome.

But they will do their circles, in terms of sales and chatter.

While there are unpleasant home truths, mind you, Mr Lee enjoys saying them and is not in any altruistic way trying to assist Malaysia in its nation-building. It's not brotherly advice. It's one up-manship, a classic “I told you so.”

Perhaps Lee does not limit himself to Singapore alone because there is only that much you can write about the bland island before readers becomes catatonic. Malaysia, like its dishes and cooks in the republic’s food courts, continues to give the flavour Singapore yearns for daily.

Pak Lah rides again, and learns to read and write good too

So, Abdullah has a book out. Four years after his pressured departure from Putrajaya, the most pilloried local politician of the present millennia gets to dream again of his days in power in “Awakening”.

Pak Lah, as he is called, does not dither on disclosing that his predecessor Dr Mahathir Mohamad was a menace to his administration, especially in the lead up to Election 2008.

Still, one cannot fail to ask about the timing. Umno party election campaign periods are always fertile times for books, and they are also key tools utilised to demonise senior office bearers. How the tales will impact on his replacement Najib Razak's fortunes at the coming October polls will be interesting to note.

There are very interesting elements to the book. First, it is written in English and the two editors are not linked to Umno. More so, they have stronger links to Pakatan Rakyat, the national opposition coalition — Bridget Welsh and James Chin. And in a rare turn of events, he has asked Keadilan vice-president Nurul Izzah Anwar to launch it in Singapore on August 30.

In the book, Abdullah attempts to dispel the common accusation during his tenure, that he slept off in the middle of events and functions, with the sleep apnea (a sleeping disorder) defence, however does beg the question, why did he not just say so back then?

There is a sense of meekness in the book’s promotion that after the initial brouhaha over his willingness to finally vocalise against his number one critic Dr Mahathir, the unwillingness to bay for his nemesis’ and allies blood will remind Malaysians how ineffectual the Abdullah years were.

There is a niggling feeling in me that perhaps, in his own understated method, Abdullah does not want to get back at anyone but use his book to enable others to speak up and even validate some.

From the choice of editors, guest to launch his book in Singapore and scheduling the release close to Umno polls. Maybe he believes it is other leaders’ time and as an elder voice he can give strength to them to speak out, and cheekily anoint the voices of the future.

I’d pay close attention to what happens when the daughter of the man Abdullah replaced as deputy prime minister explains why she is launching the writing of such a man who belongs across the political divide.

Or is Abdullah in an Obama-esque moment telling us that the things that unite us as Malaysians, such as the office of prime minister (from whichever party), are far greater than the things that divide us in this country.

Two men and goodbyes

It’s unlikely Lee will write another book — he visits his own mortality in this one — nor Abdullah emerging thereafter to say anything more in another book, there is scant little he personally would have to say.

It will be left to biographers over the decades to come to dissect and re-dissect their time and legacy.

A part of me pities Lee for the sense of betrayal he has carried with him for 48 years, and in a different sense for Abdullah whose administration will be seen as what could have been if less roadblocks and naptimes stained its reputation.

There is 605km between Lee’s Tanjong Pagar and Abdullah’s Kepala Batas constituencies, but more than that divides the seats and then the men who have served them.

But legacies are always tricky. So we will see.

* This is the personal opinion of the columnist.