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THE Cabinet reshuffle unveiled by Prime Minister Datuk Seri Anwar Ibrahim represents a critical opportunity to recalibrate the government’s overall performance, rather than merely reshuffling portfolios or managing political equations, said Parti Amanah Negara vice-president Datuk Mahfuz Omar.
Mahfuz said the core challenge facing the government today is not a lack of reform initiatives, but the failure to translate sound policies into tangible improvements in people’s daily lives, resulting in benefits that are not clearly felt by the public.
“The government cannot continue repeating the mistake of announcing policies or legal amendments that are not fully thought through, only to postpone them later when objections arise,” he said on Sunday.
“This situation weakens public confidence and hands the opposition free political ammunition,” he added.
Mahfuz pointed to subsidy rationalisation as the clearest example of this disconnect. While he said the policy is fundamentally correct and necessary for the country’s long-term fiscal sustainability, it was poorly communicated to the public.
He cautioned against oversimplifying electoral losses or declining public support by blaming either excessive reform or insufficient reform.
“The government failed to clearly explain who is being protected, who has been unfairly benefiting from subsidy leakages all this while, and how the savings would be channelled back to the people. As a result, the public only sees prices going up, not the protection being provided,” he said.
Looking ahead, Mahfuz outlined several key shifts that should follow the Cabinet reshuffle, including ensuring that reforms are thoroughly tested from policy, political and public sentiment perspectives before being announced, and that ministers themselves take ownership as the main spokespersons for their respective policies.
He stressed that Malaysians are not opposed to reform in principle, but reject approaches they do not understand or that fail to deliver clear benefits.
“The government’s messaging must move away from figures and technocratic jargon towards real stories about how policies affect people’s lives. Parties within the Unity Government must also strengthen their narratives and grassroots machinery, rather than relying solely on policy announcements from Putrajaya,” he said.
“This Cabinet reshuffle is an opportunity to prove that the Unity Government is not only right in its intentions and policies, but is also capable of winning the confidence and hearts of the people,” Mahfuz added. - December 21, 2025
