The recent Cabinet reshuffle is welcomed by most pundits as a welcome change and shows that Prime Minster is a “listening PM”. There were a series of events leading to this change in Cabinet.
- The opposition was of the view that the passing of Salahuddin and his position remaining vacant for too long as something that is amiss. They said a replacement must be made;
- TMJ of Johore had also commented that Anwar lacks decisiveness and will have a tough time under the reign of his father the Sultan of Johore as the Agung.
- Lim Kit Siang called on Prime Minster Anwar to deliver on the promised reforms. He touched on the fight on corruption, an independent judiciary, educational reforms, good governance and the rule of law.
However, the question remains on how much of the above can be achieved with only one minister, that too the Human Resources Minister who was allegedly linked to corruption being dropped from the Cabinet. I knew Mr. Sivakumar from my University days, though not in contact with him at present. It is beyond my comprehension that the Sivakumar, I knew then, is capable of corruption to that extent it was reported in the news. As we know it the media was going for him at full throttle and was critical of the way he handled the matter.
If we were to follow the news headlines over the last one year the obvious grouses were on the Education Ministry, the Economic Ministry and the Communication Ministry. We did not see any changes to these Ministries except that the Telecommunication Ministry being split into two and appointment of Gobind Singh Deo as the Digital Minister.
The real winners in the Cabinet reshuffle are DAP. The party is granted an additional ministerial position to address the concerns of under representation in the Cabinet from the Chinese Community. The Lim family also gained. Lim Hui Hing, the daughter of Lim Kit Siang and sister of Lim Guan Eng who is alleged to have failed in her role as Deputy Education Minister is elevated to become Deputy Finance Minister. A powerful portfolio indeed. This is the PM’s way of handling DAP’s, Lim Kit Siang’s onslaught on the need for reforms highlighted above. It is speculated Lim Kit Siang will be kinder or become silent towards the PM’s actions on reforms from now on for the next dour years.
It was not the same with the Indian Community that has lost its only Minister Post in the Cabinet held since 1957 with the dropping of Sivakumar. The community is not against the appointment of Gobind Singh Deo since he is a Sikh Punjabi or does not speak Tamil. The community is concerned that Gobind is not from an Indian majority based party but a Chinese party i.e. DAP. The suspicion is that any non-Chinese DAP representative speaking for and on behalf of their own community will be not liked by the Chinese voters. It is a dilemma faced by a non-Chinese politicians in the DAP. This is not often spoken about or acknowledged openly by members. The same is true with Malay leaders in the DAP. They are hardly seen saying anything about the Malays.
The MIC have had Sikh Leaders before and the Indians did not have any issues about it and received them with trust and love as they were in the MIC that represents Indians and others in the Party. Gobind’s statement that he can represent all races in his acceptance speech did not help the situation either. He should have at least said he can represent all races and the Indians too and address the issues of the community Tamil Schools, Educational Opportunities, Temples and the matters that need state assistance. I am sure an intelligent person like him can correct this and win the legitimacy and approval from the Indians to lead them. The Indians are not racists in demanding that an Indian must be a Cabinet member, what they want is inclusiveness. It is normal for the Tamil speaking Indians to be referred to as Indians in the registration of birth and even the Punjabi’s as a community have made an official stand that they are not Indians or come under “others”.
The signatories to the Independent Document of Malaya were the three races and it is by convention that the representation of these races be maintained in the Cabinet. It is not a case of how many seats you have. If there are no capable Indians in the Government, outside nominations shall be given due consideration. The competition for votes can only intensify in the next GE. Therefore, it will be wise to reconsider this departure from the norm. The Government must be more inclusive and pay heed to the voice of the Indian Community.
The Prime Minister had indicated that the Cabinet is to be intact until the next General Elections. I find this statement a little too early as we are four years away from the next General Elections. The main dilemma facing Malaysians are the quality of Education, the shortage in supply of essentials and the state of the economy rising cost of goods and services. Both the ministers in the opinion of the majority and based on new reports are less than satisfactory. This is also shared by the interest groups. The Rakyat will continue watching them and may not be happy if the same situation were to continue.
The following will be issues of interest to the public.
- A bigger size of the Cabinet is not going to be an indication of increased efficiency. The Cabinet need to be quick in fixing the grouses of the people and acheive tangible and measurable results;
- Ministers who often are caught saying the things that are against public sentiments and seen as not being in touch with the plight of the Rakyat. Reading the collective sentiment of the people and quickly moving to that will be key. Having them in the cabinet is a liability to the Government;
- Ministers who don’t walk the talk or pay attention to the voice of the people are definitely not liked. If you say something, you have to be seen as meaning it and your actions in sync. Otherwise, you can be a subject of ridicule, jokes and called a politician with “forked tongue”;
- Lower cost of living that is often due to lack of regulations and implementation of laws to curb artificial shortage in supplies to increase prices. The increase in the price of rice and sellers reference to sell imported rice is one such example;
- The use of schools and language to divide the people. Something drastic is needed to reduce the debate on the existence of National Type Primary Schools and the attempt to introduce hate and politics in schools. Schools must be inclusive and be the place where mutual respect, love and trust is gained. Our difference in faith and culture should be seen as uniting and not dividing. The recent use of schools to protest against racism can be lauded but the act of pointing towards a group is not good as we are dealing with young minds. There was an Officer who rejected the use of Tamil Songs praising the language at an official function to celebrate the Tamil Language. Incidents like this can be avoided if we understand the ethos and cultural issues of other races. Appointees need to be checked for cultural sensitivity and common sense. This starts with the Minister but that has not happened as yet.
Sivanesan Muthusamy is a Financial Markets Professional, Fintech and Startup Roll Out Strategist. He holds a Master's in Economics (Monetary Policy - Term Structure Analytics) and a degree in Economics (Hons.) Analytical Economics from the University of Malaya. His interests are in various fields and current issues. He is a strong believer in Malaysia and its potential.
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