Four years to deliver

It’s time for the government to get back to the real work at hand – getting the economy back on track and the promised reforms.

SO, the dust has settled. It’s finally over. Can we now move forward, please?

With the six state elections done and dusted, it’s time to get back to the real work at hand – getting the economy back on track.

Malaysia cannot afford to be sidetracked by the continuous politicking post-GE15 and after the unity government was formed last November.

The new state governments need to deliver on election promises made prior to Aug 14.

And it doesn’t matter if these are from Perikatan Nasional states or Pakatan Harapan-Barisan Nasional administrations. The parties that were voted in must fulfil their manifesto pledges.

This week, Kedah Mentri Besar Datuk Seri Muhammad Sanusi Md Nor said the Federal Government should not “punish” Kedahans for voting Perikatan as it was their democratic right.

Communications and Digital Minister Fahmi Fadzil’s contention is that it is important to maintain a good relationship between the federal and state governments and that there are no issues with the government continuing projects or channelling aid to opposition states.

This issue should not even be raised because regardless of how the people voted, and who controls the Federal Government, Malaysians from all states deserve equal treatment, allocations and resources.

The unity government now has four years to follow up on its promises of meaningful institutional reforms and good governance. But four years is a relatively short time, and the people are watching.

A Cabinet reshuffle should be a priority now for the Prime Minister. Datuk Seri Anwar Ibrahim needs to jettison underperforming ministers and give Cabinet positions to qualified professionals, not necessarily politicians.

In a recent op-ed in StarBiz7, the co-chairman of one of Asia’s biggest fund managers, Datuk Seri Cheah Cheng Hye, opined that Malaysia’s biggest problem isn’t economic or financial, it is political.

“For decades now, Malaysia has been caught in a middle-income trap, bedevilled by crony capitalism, capital flight and brain drain.

“There are no quick fixes for Malaysia, which has been held back by weaknesses in productivity and competitiveness, as well as a society that is insufficiently inclusive,” said the founder of Value Partners Group Limited.

But the Hong Kong-based Penangite said the Madani initiative announced by Anwar is a welcome one because it lays out a clear vision to transform Malaysia into an advanced nation.

On July 27, Anwar launched the “Madani Economy: Empowering the People” economic framework.

The two main focuses of the framework are to restructure the economy to make Malaysia a leader among Asian economies and to ensure the enlarged wealth is benefited equitably by the rakyat.The Madani Economy framework will serve as a foundation for other policies, such as the National Energy Transition Roadmap, the New Industrial Masterplan 2030 and the Mid-Term Review of the 12th Malaysia Plan.

However, Cheah said what is unclear is whether this Madani initiative will become a reality.

“Both foreign and domestic investors remain hesitant, and foreigners who bought into Malaysian assets have suffered badly from the persistent weakness of the ringgit.

“The nation needs a redesign and Madani could show the way. But implementation requires time and willpower,” he added.

Cheah’s opinions make sense and I agree with his argument that the country cannot continue to suffer from a “revolving door” government.

The electorate must have the patience and wisdom to give a stable, long-term mandate to a government committed to effective reform.

There are only so many Amazons and Teslas that we can court; the reality is that we are losing out on foreign direct investments (FDIs) to the likes of Indonesia, Vietnam, the Philippines and even Cambodia.

Even though we have a young population, enormous resources, and by and large, good laws to protect businesses and corporations, we don’t have a huge market base.

Our policymakers in Putrajaya need to rethink how to attract FDIs. We need to focus on small bites – 30 to 40 million USD/euro. There are lots of opportunities here.

And to be fair, we are not doing enough for tourism.

Tourist dollars help Malaysia enormously, especially on the east coast of the peninsula where this can have a positive impact.

But of course, all this must also come with that promise of reforms. More needs to be done to combat corruption which has become systemic.

I look forward to the formation of Parliamentary Select Committees to determine key appointments and to ensure power does not only reside with one person in the country.

Finally, we need to strengthen national unity.

Polarisation and religious intolerance are on the rise, no thanks to the widening income disparity, rising inflation and unemployment among the youth.

Fixing these problems is not going to be easy, but the unity government should at least be given a fair chance to right these wrongs.

They have four years to deliver.  ANN

Unity govt remains intact

Malaysia needs to step up reforms and we can only benefit by being all-inclusive.

THE Unity Government isn’t about to collapse, and Yang di-Pertuan Agong Al-Sultan Abdullah Ri’ayatuddin Al-Mustafa Billah Shah won’t need to appoint the country’s fifth Prime Minister when he’s about to complete his five-year term.

PAS president Tan Sri Abdul Hadi Awang has claimed that a major victory for Perikatan Nasional in the recently-concluded six state elections would result in a change of Federal Government.

No doubt, PAS and Bersatu under Perikatan have done well, in terms of the number of state seats won, but the status quo remains in the governments of the six states.

That aside, state electoral results have no bearing on the formation or continuation of a federal government.

As constitutional law expert Prof Emeritus Datuk Dr Shad Saleem Faruqi pointed out, in 25 or so federal systems around the world, federal and state governments are separate and independent of each other.

It’s not uncommon for the federal government to belong to one party or coalition, and for some or all of the state governments to belong to another, he wrote.

Hadi isn’t entitled to decide who should be PM as the power to appoint or even remove the PM belongs to the King, as enshrined under Article 43 of the Federal Constitution.

The law is clear – the King appoints a PM who is a member of the Dewan Rakyat, who “in his judgement, is likely to command the confidence of most of the members of the House.”

So, even if Perikatan had won five of the six states, except for Penang, Datuk Seri Anwar Ibrahim wouldn’t need to step down. It’s that simple.

The state elections weren’t a referendum on the PM’s right to govern, although it’s a rude wake-up call to the unity government that all is not rosy.

While the government has only been in charge for about nine months and has inherited many legacy problems, the niggling complaint is the lack of political will to conduct reforms to strengthen the economy.

Many Pakatan Harapan supporters have lamented it has been a case of more of the same, with the lack of resolve by past governments to move the country forward with fresh changes.

So, the only way PMX’s political opponents are trying to bring him down is to challenge him in Parliament.

Anwar has been bold enough to repeatedly throw down the gauntlet to the Opposition to table a vote of no confidence against him, but the deafening silence from a lack of response speaks volumes.

In an interview with The Edge before polling on Aug 12, sacked Umno leader Khairy Jamaluddin said: “You don’t even need Umno because Anwar has secured Sabah and Sarawak,” adding “What is the upside for them (Barisan Nasional members) to move?”

“Even if PH does badly, say 3:3, and significant inroads by PN – why would you remove your support from Anwar strategically? Even if it’s 4:2, it doesn’t affect the Federal Government.

“Umno is in a very precarious situation because even if Umno pulls out now, Anwar still has the numbers. So, Umno needs Anwar now. He (Anwar) planned this quite well.”

Currently, in the unity government, Pakatan has 80 seats (PKR 31, DAP 40, Amanah seven and Upko two); there’s a vacant seat in Pulai, Johor, which belonged to Amanah. It is supported by Barisan which has 30 seats (Umno 26, MCA two, MIC one and PBRS one); Gabungan Parti Sarawak 23 seats (PBB 14, SUPP two, PRS five, PDP two); Gabungan Rakyat Sabah which has six seats (direct members four, PBS one, Sabah STAR one); while the others are made up of Warisan (three); KDM (two); PBM (one); Muda (one) and Independents (one).

On the Perikatan side, PAS has 49 seats against Bersatu’s 25.

There have been calls for Umno president Datuk Seri Dr Ahmad Zahid Hamidi to assume responsibility and quit after Umno’s poor performance in the just-concluded state elections.

While he has expressed his readiness to take the rap, he is clinging on to his post, so his resignation is looking unlikely.

Umno has lost the ability to deliver the Malay votes. Ahmad Zahid can be blamed for aggravating the situation, but the erosion of support was already evident in 2018.

It didn’t happen overnight. The MCA and MIC, like Umno, have suffered the same fate. Other old parties like Taiwan’s Kuomintang and India’s National Congress Party have ended up likewise.

While PAP has been in government in Singapore for the last six decades and remains strong, the rebellious voices have grown louder now with the resentment evident on social media.

These parties haven’t been able to create fresh narratives for an increasingly young electorate that has no binding ties to the contributions of pre-independence parties.

The unwillingness of many Barisan component party leaders to relinquish their positions has not helped to rejuvenate their parties.

Then, there’s the inability to embrace social media competently, which would have widened their reach to voters. The lack of response at ceramah now would explain why voters prefer to follow proceedings online. The rules of the game have simply changed.

The sadness and even anger in Umno now are understandable. The results of the six state elections have been a big blow. Umno lost in 89 state seats it contested, and all were from the Malay heartland.

Of the 108 seats which Umno contested, it only won in 19, of which Negri Sembilan contributed the most.

There have been calls by some Umno members to pull out from the unity government and go solo, while there are Malay groups who are suggesting an Umno-PAS-Bersatu Malay government which would leave DAP out.

But Umno will be shortchanged having to play third fiddle if it subscribes to such irrational mono-ethnic philosophies. Worse, Umno will be out of the government.

No one party or group can hope to form the Federal Government without the support of Sabah and Sarawak, and PKR and DAP.

It’s simple mathematics.

The advocacy of an all-Malay political party government reeks of the tiresome and shallow “them vs us” narrative, which will only pull the country apart and send investors packing.

Neither would it help the PM if he starts to pander to the conservative and right-wing segment, which would never vote for Pakatan anyway. And more soberingly, it will alienate voters who choose the more progressive PH politics.

Yes, Anwar must win over the predominant Malay voters, who make up over 70% of the country’s demographic, but the best way is to uplift their livelihood and assure everyone has a place in Malaysia.

The reforms Anwar has promised need to be expedited. He must revamp his Cabinet soon.

Anwar also needs “wartime generals” who will defend him, not mere passengers in his respective machineries, including the Cabinet.

Yes, he must accommodate the interests, even demands, of the unity government components.

It’s a massive headache for him but by now, he knows who has performed and who hasn’t. Even the rakyat and media know.

Anwar has four years to fix this country. He doesn’t need to continue playing the populist game because it won’t benefit Malaysia in the long run.

Malaysians are tired of the continued politicking and endless rounds of elections. We’re not amused by politicians who keep telling their listeners to be wary or suspicious of their fellow Malaysians, whom they claim to be threats.

Mr Prime Minister, just do what is right and morally more important. You are the leader of Malaysians of all races and religions.  ANN

ANN

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