The New Straits Times
A NEW administration is set to begin this week, and a new Cabinet waits to be lined up. Who should be appointed, who should be left out, and how Malaysian should our leaders be? ANIZA DAMIS speaks to political analyst Associate Professor Dr Mohammad Agus Yusoff.Q: It is widely expected that the new prime minister is going to reshuffle Cabinet. What needs to be done?
A: Malaysia has a big-sized Cabinet, which is not good, because of the overlapping of responsibilities. Something that could be settled in one hour takes several days, some decisions that should be fast takes two or three ministries to settle. This does not bring good to the government or people.
What is really important is for a ministry to act efficiently and effectively, and deliver the goods to the people.
We should enlarge the role of welfare, to show to the people that we are indeed a caring government. All the ministries that concern services to the people, like Welfare, Housing, Health, Labour and Education, need to be enlarged and strengthened.
The Prime Minister should rebrand all the ministries to give them a new image.
Q: How important is rebranding? Or is it just a superficiality?
A: The rebranding has to be from the perspective of the person (who is in charge of the ministry), the objectives and function of the ministry.
For example, if the person is from Umno, the minister appointed should be a person who won the Umno elections. If you appoint somebody who is not related to the party, then, those who had won the elections will be very disappointed.
So, those who lost at the party elections should be left out. No more recycling, no more maintaining those who did not enjoy the support from the people.
In this instance, the most principled politician is (recently-resigned Domestic Trade and Consumer Affairs Minister Datuk) Shahrir (Abdul Samad). He knows that he doesn’t have the support from Umno, so he resigned and gave way to new faces. In the last Umno election, 80 per cent of those who won the contest were new faces. So, these people need to be given the chance.
The ministers who lost in the Umno elections should not be appointed at all. Should we still need them to be part of the ministry, they can be appointed as an adviser.
New people should come up. When it is very competitive, all ministers after this will work hard to ensure they are competent and can deliver.
Q: What is the guarantee that if you down-size and rebrand that things are going to get better?
A: If Najib would like to start afresh, this is the time whereby he has to commit himself to appointing people who are really capable and clean and who can gain the confidence of the people and the international community at large, so that Malaysia is back on track.
If we appoint someone only for the sake of filling in a position, we will not be able to take Malaysia anywhere. We must appoint people of calibre, and only from those who hold a position in the party. Only then will the party and government be strong.
Q: What about appointing people from outside politics? Corporate leaders, for instance?
A: No. The people will be very angry, because a person who is not a politician can easily get a position.
Before this, why is Umno supported by the majority of the Malays? Because they know that if they join Umno, they will have a career in Umno. For instance, should I resign my position as a lecturer, and join politics and Umno and then get elected, I can expect that there will be a position waiting for me. So, I will struggle inside Umno to survive, because politics is also a career.
But now, if I struggle and fight hard to get a position and win the hearts and minds of my supporters, and suddenly no position is given to me, nobody will come to me.
This is why, prior to Mahathir’s time, Malaysia developed well and there were not so many problems, because at that time, Cabinet consisted mainly of politicians. Only during Mahathir’s 22 years and thereafter did we start appointing professionals and parachute-politicians to ministers did we start to have problems. People tend to feel dissatisfied and disappointed with the way that those who are not holding party positions are given ministerial positions, and this really brings the morale of Umno supporters down.
So now we must bring them up and cheer them up. If you are successful in politics within the Umno party, then there is a good chance for you to hold a good position.
Q: Are there enough elected people right now who have the calibre and can perform?
A: Plenty. Almost all of those who were elected in the last Umno elections are definitely people who are considered to be of calibre, in the eyes of Umno. But they not only have to be capable, they also have to be clean. They have to be firm and strong, and only politicians have got this type of quality, because they are leaders who lead. They are not managers who manage.
Q: Ministries need leaders, not managers?
A: Managers are nothing. They are only respected because of their positional power. But a leader is a person who says something and leads. They can inspire others to work. Only a politician and a leader can do this. And this is what we need for a person to hold a ministry position.
Q: So, if you wanted a good manager, that person should hold a high position in the ministry, but not be a minister?
A: Yes.
The same with civil servants who have pensioned. They should be allowed to retire. Don’t extend their contract year after year. People will get angry.
Q: What about people we really need?
A: We don’t really need them. They’ve pensioned; they’re done. If we really need them, appoint them as an adviser. Give a chance and opportunity to a new leader to come up. Only then will you see people move. People won’t get angry.
1.2 million voters in Malaysia are civil servants. Their hearts need to be won, their morale needs to be raised.
As it is now, a lot of people are not satisfied. Every time a person pensions, it’s extended.
How smart can a person be that you have to extend the contract? If you appoint a new leader, you might get new ideas.
Q: How do we know the reason things aren’t working now is not because we are so stuck in a culture of bureaucracy?
A: It all depends on the leader. How you give morale to your subordinates, how you communicate with them, how you treat them – the result will be different.
For instance, if you were my boss, and I were your deputy, and your contract gets renewed and renewed; definitely my morale would drop, and definitely I’ll sabotage you, right?
Q: That’s depends on whether you joined the service to serve your country or to serve yourself.
A: And then you just hate to look at your boss and have to butter him up.
It’s about morale and motivation. We’re talking about how to motivate people to work, how to motivate civil servants to perform, how to give a chance for new people to come up. It’s not for us to throw out this old man, but once his time is over, it’s over. And we start with new people to come up.
Once it’s over, it’s over. That’s how bureaucrats grow. If not, you’re never going to learn.
The country belongs to the rakyat. It doesn’t just belong to one person who is in power who determines everything. You have to share the cake and the responsibility. Once your time of shouldering that responsibility is over, it’s time for another to come up.
So, in terms of ministry, once you cannot perform, and even your members reject you, that’s it. Time over for you.
Q: What else is needed?
A: I would love for the Rural Development and Agriculture ministries to be given to a Sabahan or Sarawakian to hold the position, because they have been asking for this post for too long. And this is how we can integrate East and West Malaysia.
We should give them a bigger role in handling ministries that are related to their life.
I think this is a big exercise for Najib to do, because he has promised to deliver. He promised to bring a massive change, and this is the time for him to show that he is committed to this.
Cabinet has to think of how to deal with the issues of human rights, freedom of the press, and civil rights, because these are the things people talk about.
Q: Should there be a review or revocation of the ISA?
A: I don’t agree that the ISA should be revoked. It should be reviewed on its application, and should not involve politics anymore. Political differences should not be an ISA offence. If these people do something wrong, then they should be charged in a court of law. The ISA is only meant to be used for subversive elements.
Q: Define ‘subversive’.
A: Foreign spies, people who market false documents, terrorists.
I see the need for the ISA, but not for politics. If you are going to detain people for having a difference of opinion, that’s not appropriate.
Q: Should the detention period be made more limited, instead of indefinite?
A: There should no longer be indefinite detention. It should be for a maximum one year. If, after one year, you cannot prove a case against them and charge them in court after detaining them for so long, then they should be released unconditionally.
Q: What about media freedom. Should the Printing Presses and Publications Act be repealed?
A: As long as the media does not publish pornography or seditious material, it should be freed. We cannot block them anyway. The Internet and the new media is becoming more widespread and we cannot curb its size in the future.
What’s important is that, if there is criticism, then the government should improve itself.
Najib should open the democratic space. That is what the people are seeking. They should be able to see from the openness that democracy and the justice system is for them.
The justice system has to be seen as free, independent, and there should not be any double-standards.
For instance, in cases that involve the Opposition, investigations are completed quickly, whereas in cases involving the government, there’s no investigation at all.
If there is a police report against a Government leader and the people see that there is no action taken, then they will see that there is double standard. And this should not happen.
Q: The ministry that’s most in charge of this is the Home Ministry. How should the Home Ministry be rebranded?
A: The person chosen to be minister should not be a yes-man. He should be firm, committed and driven to change things.
We should try to achieve at least 70 per cent of the democracy that is practiced in the West. If we are at a low level, we should at least try to be in the top-50 best countries in the world. That would be good enough.
Democracy must ensure equality and justice. Equality in economics, standard of living. Justice in terms of freedom of the press, judicial system, the public’s participation in politics.
Q: We have seen, in just one administration, just how open the country can be. What else should Najib do to open up speech to the people?
A: RTM should play a role in being open to receiving opinions from both sides, even if the issue is not to the advantage of the government. The media should be the forum in which we can discuss and exchange knowledge, not just from which knowledge is fed to the masses.
Q: Because it is funded by the government, should RTM be a neutral channel? Should the Opposition and Government have equal access to airtime?
A: No. The government should still have an advantage. But some space should be given.
Q: When you talk about “Government”, are you referring to the government that serves the people, or are you talking about the political party?
A: There is an overlap between the two. A political party is also a government; and a government is run by a political party in power. So, as a government, you are not going to open all the avenues to the Opposition.
Likewise, the Opposition media will not open the venue to you to appear in their paper. It’s the same.
Q: The difference between a government media and an opposition media is that, an opposition media is privately owned. A government media is actually owned by the people. Should RTM1 and RTM2 give equal time to the opposition?
A: No, cannot.
Q: Why not?
A: The government has to use RTM in order to promote the policies of the government.
Q: Can’t the government do that in the time it’s allotted?
A: What is important is not airtime, but fair reporting. It should not be a reporting that always insults the intellect of
the people.
The media has to be more professional.
The Home and Information Ministries are very sensitive ministries. Only strong, capable, credible, intelligent, and open-minded politicians should be appointed to these ministries.
Q: Umno leaders will also be Cabinet ministers. When they are Cabinet ministers, should they be a Malaysian leader first, or an Umno leader first?
A: Malaysian first, and then Malay. Because they are national leaders. They cannot be Malay first and Malaysian second. Because you are a national leader, you have to Malaysian first, and Malay second.
Q: How about when they have to decide on something that is in the interest of Malaysia, but is against the interest of the Malays? Because they are elected by the party, isn’t there going to be the pressure of having to pander to the dictate of the party?
A: Even the people can understand that they are a national leader and they have to serve the country first.
If they serve the country, then they are also serving the Malays. There’s no problem about that. But you have to be Malaysian first. Once you are Malaysian first, then automatically you are also protecting and fighting for the cause of the Malays.
Q: And there’s no schism between the interest of the Malays and the interest of Malaysians?
A: No. The interest of the Malays is always for the interest of Malaysia, and the interest of Malaysia is always for the interest of the Malays. This is a Malay land. When you become a Malay leader, you are selected to protect the interests of the Malays. So, it should be okay, as long as your country comes first and your race second; only then can you build a united Malaysian nation, and only then can you strengthen Umno because the non-Malays will come back to support the concept of Barisan Nasional.
If you deliver and work for Malaysia first, people will understand the concept of Barisan Nasional. After all, it’s been a workable concept of political compromise for the past 53 years. Even the opposition strongly believes that to win the elections, they have to cooperate between the multi-ethnic groups as well, so that’s why they formed Pakatan Rakyat. That shows the strength of consociationalism and cooperation between the different ethnic groups is very important.
Should they keep on harping on the interest of the Malays only, and yet they are a Cabinet minister, then they are rubbish leaders.
Q: Should Cabinet seats be given proportionally according to the strength of coalition political parties, or should it be given according to the needs of the community?
A: Najib should maintain the status quo according to the proportion of the number of Cabinet ministers according to ethnic groups. So, even though you do a revamp of this Cabinet, the proportion of the ethnic communities in the Cabinet need to be maintained.
If non-Malays have four Cabinet ministers, out of which one is for the Indians, then this should be maintained.
Q: What if the need of a community is greater than the proportion?
A: We have to look at the proportionality of the people. Perhaps you need 10 Indian ministers to upgrade the conditions of the Indian community, but this does not mean that you have to give them 10. There are other communities that need to be addressed, too.
Q: Usually, two-thirds of Cabinet comprises Umno leaders. But you don’t really need that many Malays to uphold the rights of the Malays. So, maybe you can afford to give one or two seats for issues that are really pressing.
A: It has to be according to the proportionality of votes. Because this is about politics. Equality and fairness comes according to the number of votes that they get during the elections. As it is now, Umno is controlling the Barisan Nasional, so Umno should hold the power and lead the coalition. It’s not according to the needs of the community.
In any case, an Umno leader is also a Malaysian leader.
Both Ganabatirau and Kenghadharan would be taken straight to their homes in Shah Alam and Kelana Jaya respectively.
By Shannon Teoh - The Malaysian Insider
Nagarajan (left) has tonight submitted membership forms for 300 ex-PPP members.
Anwar's ceramah late this evening saw a crowd of about 5,000 people. The hall was so packed that people had to stand outside to listen to Anwar and other PKR speakers.
Moreover, he said that should MIC's S Ganesan win the by-election in Bukit Selambau, long-time party president S Samy Vellu would demand a senator's post from the new premier.
Nagarajan, who joined PPP in 1998, also revealed that he had spoken to party boss Kayveas, and although he was asked to stay on in PPP, he declined.
Meanwhile, Anwar lambasted Umno leaders for not caring about grinding poverty in many parts of the country.
He also told the crowd that Manikumar (photo) ought to be given a chance to prove himself as leader for the Indian community.
KUALA LUMPUR, April 4 — So the man many people say was destined to lead Malaysia is finally occupying the country’s top job.
BUKIT SELAMBAU, April 4 — There was no let up in Datuk Seri Anwar Ibrahim's attack on Datuk Seri Najib Razak's first day as prime minister with the opposition leader finding inconsistencies in the latter's decision to release 13 Internal Security Act detainees.
