Moving on Up!

Prime Minister's Najib Abdul Razak's new line-up according to Sin Chew Daily.

Out :
Domestic Trade and Consumer Affairs Minister Shahrir Abdul Samad
Second Finance Minister Nor Mohamed Yakcop
Home Minister Syed Hamid Albar
Tourism Minister Azalina Othman
Energy, Water and communications Minister Shaziman Abu Mansor
Federal Territories Minister Zulhasnan Rafique
Rural and Regional Development Minister Muhammad Muhd Taib
Foreign Minister Dr Rais Yatim
Higher Education Minister Mohamed Khalid Nordin
Information Minister Ahmad Shabbery Chik.
Housing and Local Government Minister Ong Ka Chuan

Moving: Hishammuddin Hussein (International Trade and Industry Ministry), Nazri Abdul Aziz (Foreign Ministry, ouch!), Shafie Apdal (Defence Ministry).

Welcomed: Dr Koh Tsu Koon (Huh?), former science, technology and innovation minister Jamaluddin Jarjis, former tourism minister Tengku Adnan Mansor, Khairy Jamaluddin

Not welcomed: S Samy Vellu, Chua Soi Lek

Noteworthy :Number of ministers from 29 to 23

Alert:
Setting up of a Ministry on Chinese affairs.

(I wonder why this is needed? Are my Chinese friends being sidelined or neglected? How about a ministry for Indian affairs?

We do have to admit that our Indian friends are far more in need of some fresh impetus just like the Malays as these are easily the two biggest contributors where hardcore and marginally hard core poor are concerned.

Are we back to addressing ourselves as Malay, Chinese and Indians as such that Ministries have to be formed to take care of each indigenous group?

It’s a reversion to the politics of old the new age Malaysia would be at odds with.)

Anyway, The Star’s has this following take on the shuffle:
Mustapa Mohamed for Second Finance Minister.

A technocrat for the Economic Planning Unit handler (currently held by former Malayan Banking Bhd CEO Amirsham A. Aziz)

Same old, or vibrantly new?

We’ll see soon enough.

In the meantime, enjoy this art piece by English artist Cliff Warner.

All the Good Men

Watchmen's Dr Manhattan

One of the more famous Bonnie Tyler (those in my age range would probably know her) song goes:

“Where have all the good men gone and where are all the Gods?”

(While the second part of the lyrics might pricked some conscience in how blasphemous it is but I would like to believe Tyler was singing contextually.

The “Gods amongst Men” kind of statement.)

Tyler’s “I need a Hero” was the first thing that came to my mind when I read a story on Youth and Sports Minister Ismail Sabri Yaacob in the online edition of The Sun.

Quoting sources, the news reports cited: “The minister blew his top at one meeting and brought in the MACC to clean up the ministry” .

Through the years (!!) we’ve been fed with countless number of stories on the alleged (ahem..) excesses of certain politicians and their officials.

Of late, even juicier still were the alleged “cashploits” of a certain former Menteri Besar who - despite being less than brave to face up to the Committee which lead to the expose in the first place - has since come out with denials of ANY wrongdoings on his part.

Feeble is one of the more courteous word I can say to that.

Those of us reading such exposes hope in our hearts that something would be done to arrest acts of milking public funds and abuse of positions.

At the same time, though, we are resigned to the reality that most often a majority of these miscreants gets off scot free for a lack of action taken.

Ie. NFA = No further action.

The Sports Minister’s story – while unconfirmed – delighted me to no ends (and more so if it is confirmed) as it goes to show that there are still decent men (and women) whom the nation can still trust to do what is right and not let something as tenuous of political afflictions to hold them back.

We need a lot more “blowing of tops” so that the ball can get rolling for the country to get a head start in tackling the debilitating culture that okays short cuts aka corrupt practices since everyone is allegedly doing them.

The cost of doing things in Malaysia is rife with add-ons from this very culture: RM1,500 to get your child’s file for a school transfer to the top of the pile, RM500 to push the clerk to file the MB Consent for the transfer of deed faster, millions to buddy up with the local political warlord to get some contract works.

All these are hypothetical examples, of course, but as the hierarchy of authoritative powers goes up, so to would the “cost” involved getting things done or not done.

Ridding the nation of corruption is understandably a HUGE and almost impossible task but such steps would make corrupt practices the crimes that they are and not merely the additional cost of doing things that they're treated as.

Just because something is difficult to do doesn’t mean that we shouldn’t give it a go.

I hope Ismail – if indeed the story is the unblemished truth – will be back in as a Cabinet Minister next week.

We need more who are not afraid of treading on the foot of their own colleagues and political "friends" to right wrongdoings.

The law of the land must be allowed to run its course to let the damned get their just dessert.

An aging Bats slugging it out in DC's Dark Knight Returns

Shadow Vacancies

The resignation of Abdullah Ahmad Badawi as Prime Minister provides some good opportunities for the country to progress from the current political quagmire.

Current Cabinet Ministers should pay heed to calls from a Senator to resign en bloc “to pave the way for the formation of a new cabinet”.

Selfless act like that of Shahrir Samad (justifying why I listed the JB MP as a potential Prime Ministerial candidate) should be emulated by the rest.

Come on, folks. Make it easy for the new PM (whosoever it may be) to pick a new team.

The selection of Cabinet Ministers has always been the sole prerogative of the PM.

During ordinary times, political expediencies including keeping your party enemies close but out of the way (the (gasp!) foreign affairs portfolio, for example) and close ally in strategic ones (finance, home affairs) would normally be important consideration for appointment.

There is however nothing “ordinary” about these times.

Appointment of the new Cabinet team should therefore be one that could carry the country back on its feet after falling so badly behind our own objectives the last few years.

No matter who the new Prime Minister is (there I go again..), his or her (is there such a candidate?) task is enormous, but we should believe firmly that there are good and capable men and women among the millions of Malaysians to choose from.

There should also be senatorial Ministers but candidates who had been rejected by their constituents the last GE should not put too much hope of being appointed.

A Ministerial portfolio is not a Quango for has-been politicians. Leave these appointments to the non administrative bodies like Suhakam, NIOSH, etc.

Is there a dream list? We wish there is one, but based on the reality of political appointments and the recent Umno election results, it’s perhaps a very, very wishful, dreamy thinking.

There is also other opportunity right across our Parliamentary divide.

With the government having to run the gauntlet with (hopefully) a new team, its opposite in the Pakatan Rakyat should rightfully follow suit with a Shadow Cabinet.

The task is by far easier as these are NOT actual constitutional appointments, but more so to allow a far more concerted check and balance effort to take place.

On top of that, it would help the people judge if the so-call alternative government has what it takes to provide some good measures in governing the nation.

Sure, the coalition of PAS, PKR and DAP has got some models in the State governments of Kedah, Penang, Selangor and Kelantan (pity about Perak), but nothing beats having an actual Shadow Cabinet holding exactly the portfolios that matter.

If they are serious about taking over the Federal government, a Shadow Cabinet would be a good training ground.

What is there to fear anyway?

The rakyat would judge the Shadow Cabinet from their viewpoints, ideals and principles, and going by the debates in Parliament, there are enough candidates to fill all the necessary portfolios.

Unlike the actual Cabinet, the opposition does not need deputies and Parliament secretaries. Leave these when (and IF) you form the government.

Will any of these materialize in the coming weeks?

Or will it be same old, same old?

Who knows what evil lurks in the hearts of men?