Finally, no surprise, no miracle. The timeframe Abdullah has set for his term is next March.

To some in UMNO, it is a big relief; to the Pakatan Rakyat, it is a breather; but to the people in the street, it will be a sigh.

Whatever reaction we have, I think this decision of Pak Lah should be reciprocated with some respect.

Of course, he can fight on and not to give up, just like what other die-hard loyalists have wanted him to do, to cling on till the very last moment.

Only a day earlier, some 200 loyal supporters gathered at his Putrajaya residence, trying to pursuade him to stay on.

These loyalists felt that his "fall from grace" was nothing more than an illusion painted by his rivals within the party and aimed at baffling the confidence and morale of his camp.

They said Malaysians generally still threw their support behind him, while the UMNO grassroots had never forsaken him. If he were to defend his presidency, he would get enough nominations (at least from 58 divisions).

If he decided to go in, he still had the chance, they claimed.

But unlike the past, Pak Lah has made his own decision this time.

And after the decision has been made, there will be no turning back for him.

He will become the shortest serving prime minister in the country's history, at 5 years and 5 months.

Perhaps, there are still jobs he has yet to accomplish, or perhaps he could command a higher position in history. He shouldn't have settled for just this. But he doesn't have the option now.

I suddenly think of what he said merely a week ago, that he would remain loyal to the party, and love the party.

At that time, Malaysians had no idea why he had uttered something like that.

The answer has become clear now.

He doesn't want UMNO to sink into further commotion, or even a split. If he insists to hold on to his presidency, a clash of titans is almost inevitable.

And the 1988 clash between Dr Mahathir and Ku Li will be repeated.

If this is to take place, UMNO may not be as lucky as it was back then. Pak Lah lacks the strength and tactics to put things back in order again if a split is present this time.

Moreover, we didn't have Anwar and Pakatan Rakyat prowling outside back then.

If UMNO is disintegrated, the demise of BN government will invariably be expedited.

I believe Abdullah is well aware of the consequences. So he chose to let off.

Anwar and Pakatan might be disappointed that they have let go a historical opportunity. Having said that, those in UMNO and other BN component parties should be thankful to Pak Lah.

Of course, from this moment on, the Malaysian politics will enter into a "post-Abdullah era."

There are two ways of using the "post-xxx" adjective. Firstly, it denotes the past tense, something that has been over. Secondly, the concluding phase, towards the end.

Of course, the "post-Abdullah era" does not spell the past tense, for Pak Lah is still UMNO's president and the country's prime minister, albeit only until next March.

In the remaining five months of his tenure, he "still has some jobs to accomplish," as he himself has put it.

These uncompleted jobs are the pledges he made in the past five years, as well as the expectations of Malaysians. Whether he can eventually complete the tasks will very much affect the way his historical values will be assessed, as well as the progress of the country's systems.

The only thing is that to do it now is much more difficult than ever.

He wants to go on his judicial reform agenda, but will not have Zaid Ibrahim to take the lead now.

He wants to form an anti-corruption committee, but interest groups within the party are more emboldened now than ever.

Can he accomplish in the remaining five months what he couldn't accomplish in the past five years?

Perhaps he could stake everything on a single throw, and refuse to be the Pak Lah he used to be, then we will still see the hope of change.

Or perhaps he still has the chance if he would play the last card, but then again he needs the support and coordination from Najib.

Pak Lah will appear weaker than ever, but can stil turn the table around, for he has nothing or no one to worry about now.

In other words, he has nothing to lose. If he is not going to do it now, when then? (By TAY TIAN YAN/Translated by DOMINIC LOH/Sin Chew Daily)