Faced with public discontent over rising prices, Prime Minister Anwar Ibrahim is being advised by two academics to reshuffle his Cabinet and appoint more capable individuals to specific portfolios.
The delay in finding a replacement for the late Salahuddin Ayub, who held the critical position of domestic trade and cost of living, reflects poorly on Anwar, according to Azmi Hassan from Akademi Nusantara. Salahuddin had introduced successful initiatives such as Rahmah sales and cheap meals campaigns.
Meanwhile, Mazlan Ali from Universiti Teknologi Malaysia warns that the lack of immediate action in finding a replacement for Salahuddin may give the impression that the Prime Minister is not serious about addressing the issue of living costs, which is a matter of public concern. Azmi suggests that the reshuffle is necessary to remove underperforming ministers or those who are unsuitable for their current portfolios.
Instead, they can be reassigned to different roles, allowing more capable individuals to assume their positions. Although Azmi does not mention any specific names, he believes that the current brouhaha surrounding Anwar necessitates this restructuring to address the criticism that he is not adept at alleviating the daily struggles faced by the people.
Mazlan agrees that there is a notable gap in quality between the Prime Minister and his Cabinet colleagues. While praising Anwar for his work ethic, Mazlan emphasizes the importance of having a high-performing team that is on an equal footing. To ensure the smooth functioning of his administration, Anwar should promptly carry out the Cabinet reshuffle and find a replacement for Salahuddin.
Mazlan suggests that ministers who are not performing well need not be completely removed from the Cabinet but could be given different portfolios or new positions altogether. According to Mazlan, Anwar should be acutely aware of public sentiment. The discussion surrounding a Cabinet reshuffle gained traction following Salahuddin's passing and was further fueled by the reshuffling of five civil service heads of ministries. Deputy Prime Minister Ahmad Zahid Hamidi also hinted at an imminent Cabinet reshuffle.
Although rumours circulated that Zahid Hamidi might be moved to handle the home ministry, he recently expressed his belief that he would unlikely be removed as minister for rural and regional development. Currently, the domestic trade and cost of living portfolio is being temporarily handled by Armizan Ali, the minister for Sabah and Sarawak affairs and special functions.
Source: Link
felixwrite is a content creator under the Newswav Creator programme, where you get to express yourself, be a citizen journalist, and at the same time monetize your content & reach millions of users on Newswav. Log in to creator.newswav.com and become a Newswav Creator now!
The User Content (as defined on Newswav Terms of Use) above including the views expressed and media (pictures, videos, citations etc) were submitted & posted by the author. Newswav is solely an aggregation platform that hosts the User Content. If you have any questions about the content, copyright or other issues of the work, please contact Newswav.
