Surprise us with a wiser cabinet, Mr Prime Minister – Vasanthi Ramachandran

LET us try to look at an old government with a new perspective. Let us forget about the process, especially the theatrical spins and how we got here. There is no point in being emotionally charged about our powerlessness in choosing our leader, especially now.

Who knows, there might be some unexpected pleasant surprises for us.  

In the 2018 elections, we were yearning for goodness. We were patriotically charged, ready for a new beginning, and change for the better. Since then, we have witnessed the changing hands of three governments at great speed.

Not only are we back to square one, we have also inherited a new host of problems. Although this is not a crisis of our making, we are ones to nurse our wounds and move on. 

Today, marginalised people are sliding down a slippery terrain – socially, economically and politically – and have raised the white flag.

It was against this backdrop that the ninth prime minister, Datuk Seri Ismail Sabri Yaakob, was sworn in. It is no easy task for him. He already knows what he is up against. He knows the weaknesses of the previous government, as well as some good aspects of the accomplishments of his predecessor, Tan Sri Muhyiddin Yassin.

The first thing our prime minister should do is to pick his team wisely, to empower his government and to have a powerful impact on meeting immediate challenges.

We believe that he knows that the public’s robust scrutiny of the previous cabinet ministers is legitimate. And yet, here we are again, back to the selection process based on a quota from several political parties. Merit and efficiency may be compromised because it will be a reshuffle and juggle from the same stock of  representatives.

Ismail Sabri must change the status quo.

We are slowly exhausting our supply of heroes. Perhaps we need a new lifeline of young heroes.

For the last three years, we have blurred visions of who our ministers were, what their portfolios were and how long their stay was. Except for a handful who made the news every day, the rest surfaced fleetingly, said the wrong things, eroded the efforts of the working ministers and disappeared quickly.  

When was the last time we saw our ministers announcing progressive policies to combat a virus that has derailed our country?

There was a time we had a clear chart of the names of ministers, their portfolios and even the names of their deputy ministers. Now, we cannot recognise the faces or link their names to their portfolios. Ministers are chosen from diverse backgrounds, typically with no related qualification or prior experience to the portfolio they have been selected for.

The art of proper governance hinges on how the machinery works. So, it is important to choose the right leaders based on knowledge, intelligence, or passion for their area of work. It is important that they are transparently accountable when things go wrong.

The Perikatan Nasional-led government had 32 ministers and 38 deputy ministers. The resources, budgets and the potential capacities in these ministries were phenomenal. And yet, the most important activity was the government’s roll-out in handouts worth billions of ringgit.

If we had an innovative cabinet,  parts of the funds could have been used  to keep the economic fabric alive. Because of some uncommitted ministers,  it has caused the disappearance of a huge labour force that was being cruelly exploited and paid barely subsistence wages. 

This job was entrusted upon the Human Resources Ministry. Given our reliance on foreign workers, the minister needs to upskill and reskill millions of Malaysians instead to maintain our nation’s growth trajectory.

This ministry controls vast resources for upgrading skill sets for the workforce through the Human Resources Development Corp and Employee Insurance Scheme under the Social Security Organisation (Socso).  

Although the ministry has doubled its coverage by amending the PSMB Act during the pandemic, the number of employees who were upskilled has drastically dropped in the last two years. While the whole world was going digital, the ministry was waiting for physical training during the movement control order.

The minister should assist our local businesses, especially small and medium enterprises, and workers, so that Malaysia remains competitive.

A good prime minister must assemble an effective team, who win our confidence by getting things done, with a clear plan, a budget, and a concrete implementation strategy. Too often, ministers are big on ideas but short on implementation.

Let us look at the Women, Family and Community Development Ministry, which is responsible for the welfare of the community and has massive data, statistical and welfare literacy that has direct access to the underprivileged.

Today, the ministry has shrunk in size at a time when the resources are needed most. We desperately need a minister who is competent, gender sensitive and understands how big her task is. 

Another crucial component is the Health Ministry. Though there was a system in place, there was no holistic approach to deal with management, control and administration of the pandemic. The new health minister needs to be an efficient and informed minister who does not “misspeak” with contradicting messages that confuse the public.

As the graph climbs to 23,000, the lockdown has been lifted.  The government has now absolved itself of all responsibility and relaxed mobility. The virus can now move visibly and sociably proliferate freely.

The Covid crisis is not over. Or it is. We do not know. But what we know is,  it is our responsibility now.

The consequences of  an out-of-control virus and its variants,  the speedy repair of the economic wreckage and the management of public mobility will depend on the choice of our ministers.

Together, they need to build better machinery with every mechanism working at optimum capacity.  Most of all, they need to be competent and not merely convenient leaders to implement the right policy measures.

What may happen in the coming weeks and months depends on each minister chosen, who do not cause us any more despair or infuriation. The public is monitoring closely, gathering evidence and testimonials to properly elect our next leaders.

Injustice cannot be hidden anymore. Our observations have illuminated many weaknesses.

We need to trust the government.

So, please choose wisely Mr Prime Minister. Surprise us. – The Vibes, August 22, 2021

Vasanthi Ramachandran is an author, brand strategist and runs Helping Hands