ALOR STAR – Prime Minister Datuk Seri Ismail Sabri Yaakob cannot expect a different outcome to the triple crises besieging the country if the cabinet line-up boasts the same names, said opposition representatives from the northern region.
DAP secretary-general Lim Guan Eng said a “recycled cabinet” from the previously failed Perikatan Nasional (PN) administration will raise doubts about the Bera MP’s commitment to win the battle against Covid-19 and tackle the economic crisis.
“A recycled cabinet is no different from putting old wine in a new bottle that raises scepticism on whether there are new solutions for the current Covid-19 pandemic and economic crisis, as well as sufficient room for progressive institutional reforms,” said Lim on Twitter.
Derga assemblyman Tan Kok Yew, who is also Kedah DAP liaison chairman, said although the opposition is receptive to the age of a political truce and a mature form of politicking, the cabinet line-up unveiled by Ismail Sabri is a let-down.
“How can we expect to defeat Covid-19, restore the economy and create a political truce if we have largely the same team, which was losing the battle on all three fronts since last year,” Tan told The Vibes.
On top of the Covid-19 pandemic, Malaysia has been plagued by an economic freefall and severe political squabble.
Tan said Kedah DAP will accept the decision as it is Ismail Sabri's prerogative to form his cabinet, but in terms of public expectations, he has gotten off to a very discouraging start, where his action is not equivalent to his words of concessionary politics.
Meanwhile, Pulau Tikus assemblyman Chris Lee Chun Kit actually sang a tune from The Who rock band titled Won't Get Fooled Again, murmuring the lyrics “the old boss is the same new boss” when comments were sought from him.
The music aficionado said the new cabinet is a disappointment because there are no new faces to save the country from digressing even further, due to the lack of talent and innovation in times of crisis.
“This cabinet cannot afford to fail as lives are at stake. They must perform, but it remains to be seen if they are capable because they refuse to heed the lessons of the past and they continue to project the politics which got them in trouble in the first place,” said Lee.
Perak Amanah chairman Datuk Seri Mujahid Yusof Rawa previously shared a wish list for the cabinet.
He said it must be compact, with the agility to change ministers if they fail to perform, and are accorded posts based on meritocracy.
The Parit Buntar MP also said there should not be any special ambassador’s post carrying a ministerial rank, and that ministers defying Covid-19 SOPs must be sacked.
Unfortunately, he said, the new cabinet is just a recycled one and his wishes are left unfulfilled.
“Our big Malaysian family is asking if the Sheraton Move continues to haunt Ismail Sabri from making the right changes for the country,” he said. – The Vibes, August 27, 2021
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