In the eyes of the rakyat: What makes a good cabinet?

Rakyat of today has high demands and expectations of their Governments and Cabinet members. In today’s world of social media, this privileged group of Ministers, or chosen ones are always in the spotlight – for good, as well as for the others. It is interesting to note on this perspective – what attributes, values or skills do the people feel makes up a good and credible Minister?

Everyone loves a hardworking Minister – one who works tirelessly, around the clock for the benefit of their constituents. One who regularly goes down on the ground, and has the interests of the people close to their hearts. One who does not skip parliament sessions because they know that the voices and concerns of the people will not be heard if they do not speak about it. One who despite all the glamor and fame of the job, remains humble and down to earth, grounded to its voters.

Today in Malaysia, very few have done the job well; some chose to be cosy in their ivory towers flexing their new found powers, while others seem to enjoy the endless media play for likes and engagements. A newly appointed minister, famous for his endless formula dictations was previously quoted “Jangan makan ayam kalau ayam mahal” – directly translated as avoid eating chicken if chicken prices go up. How is that for humility?

Appointed cabinet members shoulder a huge responsible to set the direction and ensure successful implementation of various industries and interests of the country. On the very least, we all expect a Minister that is competent, knowledgeable and are performance driven. It is no easy task to head a Ministry with thousands of staff and billions of dollars of economic and social value to the country. He or she should possess strong and exceptional leadership qualities, and is focused on the outcome – regardless of the external and internal pressure.

However, another newly appointed Minister was seen flip-flopping and going back against his own words, on a national 5G policy that will impact millions of Malaysians nationwide and recently on his position that people should be allowed to dissent against Ministers, when he during a live Tik-Tok session, threaten that dissenters will have police car in front of their house. From a stalwart for public dissent to policing public opinion, that does not speak much of the minister’s character. Easily put – if this Minister is from a different party, his reputation would be tarnished and his career would have been culled to the bone.

This is by far the most coveted attribute a Minister could possess. Hovering around the corridors of power daily, anyone would be easily tempted by the huge amounts of money, power and other desires dangling around these corridors for the sake of a simple signature or harmless support. And to point, many upcoming as well as seasoned politicians have fallen due to their inability to exert integrity as well as honesty in their daily jobs. One must remember that with great power, comes great responsibility. And being a Minister is no small responsibility.

Many Ministers, Chief Ministers and even Prime Ministers have had their integrity questioned, honesty tainted, and their power and responsibilities revoked and taken away. For aspiring Ministers out there, the Rakyat expects you to always do the right thing, even when no else is watching.

Lastly, all we want for a Minister is to put our interests ahead, above all others. Ministers are elected individuals with the power to change and make policies that will impact people’s lives. In a capitalist world full of greedy opportunists and lobbyists, it is on the Minister to weigh the good and bad of a policy it makes. If a Minister chooses to side with the industries over the benefits of the Rakyat, even with all the facts at hand – the onus is on the other Cabinet members to healthily debate, argue and validate all the assumptions before any decision is make. Having one competent, honest, and credible Minister is not enough – we need a full Cabinet of them to ensure check and balance.

Government’s recent decision to go backwards on their previous 5G Single Wholesale network policy, to award deep-pocketed telcos to run their own 5G network, seems and sounds like a classic example of another white elephant in the making. Despite numerous attempts by industry veterans and analysts, the move by Ministry of Communications & Digital remained confusing and unanswered. Why the need for a new infrastructure network? How was the review process being done? Who benefits from the whole decision? And who is going to pay the price?

If Mr Prime Minister (PMX) is serious about being in power for the rest of his term, he should seriously consider a Cabinet re-shuffle soon. Putting good, competent people in charge shows authority, governance as well as credibility in our leadership. Pretty-faced, media-friendly Ministers does not necessarily mean they can do the job well. The rakyat wants a working Minister, and not a ‘play-acting’ Minister.

Because in the end, it is always the Rakyat that must bear the brunt and the consequences.