AUG 15 — August 13 was the 100th day of Datuk Seri Najib Razak as prime minister for the second term. Four years ago, namely on July 11, 2009, he marked his first 100th day by announcing 11 people-friendly measures. This year, however, it was particularly quiet.

Four years ago, Najib had not been tested by public opinion and today, he knew it so well but found it difficult to take action.

It is worrisome as party internal issues and other factors, as well as leadership doldrums, have once again caused national progress to be slowed down by old problems.

These old problems include the lack of management and execution capacity, policies not adjustable according to times, the lack of efficiency in the public delivery system and the entanglement between racial and political issues.

The lack of management capacity alone has led to various problems, including poor public security and losses to government-linked companies.

Meanwhile, due to the lack of execution capacity, the police have so far failed to find a way to reduce crimes.

Due to management capacity differences, AirAsia is operating well while Malaysia Airlines (MAS) is suffering losses. Even Minister in the Prime Minister’s Department Datuk Seri Idris Jala, who is also former chief executive officer and managing director of MAS, said that MAS should be sold at the appropriate time and reasonable price.

Stiff policies have also obstructed national progress. For instance, the Talent Corporation meant to attract the return of talents to help the country in economic transformation is now in vain due to inflexible policies.

The Cabinet has so far not yet issued any instructions in response to the failure of some excellent students to receive offer to enter local universities or preferred courses. Taiwan, however, has responded quickly. During his recent trip to Malaysia, Taiwan’s Education Minister Jiang Weining immediately earmarked it as a special case and assisted STPM excellent students to further their studies in Taiwan, reflecting the flexibility of the Taiwan government.

Ironically, the Talent Corporation had just made a trip to Taiwan recently to attract Malaysian talents to return and serve the country. And now, another batch of excellent students are attracted to study in Taiwan. The country is expected to lose more talents and national transformation would seem too far to achieve if the policies are not changed.

In addition, the country also needs a harmonious environment that can solidify all so that everyone will work hard to achieve the goal of high-income economy. However, endless racial and religious controversies after the general election have distracted the people.

From remarks suggesting the abolition of Chinese and Tamil primary schools to various religious controversies, including the recent Kota Tinggi surau incident, we can see the lack of understanding among different races and religions. At this critical juncture, the government should start a dialogue mechanism as only the spirit of understanding can help quell the increasingly frequent sensitive storms.

We must keep religious moderation and abandon extreme thinking to maintain open and free and attract foreign investment.

At the same time, many are questioning the Trans-Pacific Partnership (TPP), the fall of commodity prices would impact the country’s economy, the depreciation of the ringgit might lead to the increase in prices of goods while the surge in prices has inflated the housing bubble.

All these issues require the government to lead with decisiveness and visionary leadership.

Therefore, Najib’s second term will not be easy. In addition to national issues, he must also face interference within the party.

However, Najib must take the overall situation into account as according to the Merdeka Center for Opinion Research, the BN gained 61.6 per cent of Malay votes in the May 5 general election, increased only by 1.5 per cent compared to the general election in 2008. It suffered a drop in urban Malay votes, while losing 5 per cent of Indian votes.

Can Najib overcome the challenges? I believe that history will judge. — mysinchew.com

* This is the personal opinion of the writer or publication and does not necessarily represent the views of The Malay Mail Online.