Kuala Lampur, April 16 -- History, when it looks back, always pauses at the sincere leaders. The ones who did not seize power with clenched fists or thunderous cries, but listened.

Pak Lah, Tun Abdullah Ahmad Badawi, was that rare kind of leader - not loud, but luminous. A statesman who moved a nation by the statesman who guided a nation's conscience with measured grace.

He did not shout yet we heard him. He did not demand reverence, yet we found ourselves pausing, listening, watching - not for drama, but for decency.

When Tun Abdullah passed on April 14 at the age of 85, the nation bowed its head - not in spectacle, but in solemn gratitude and reflection.

Pak Lah's leadership was not shaped by slogans or taglines. It was measured and...