PETALING JAYA, June 11 — A little over a year after Barisan Nasional’s victory in the 13th general election, analysts say it is timely for a major Cabinet reshuffle.
One analyst said this was because issues such as inflation and the lack of improvement in security had not been addressed efficiently by current Cabinet members, while another said the “spirit” of the ministers should be to serve all Malaysians.
Economist Tan Sri Dr Ramon Navaratnam said the reshuffle should be a major one to introduce fresh blood and a new way of thinking into the Cabinet for a positive impact.
“I suggested this matter much earlier publicly and it has been long overdue,” he said.
“The reshuffle is most welcome by the people as we do not want old ideas and methodology to prepare us for a better quality of life.”
Navaratnam said issues that had not been addressed efficiently by the current Cabinet include rising inflation, lack of improvement in security, the need to revamp education, and the need to vigorously reduce corruption.
He hoped the government would choose the best people who would show meritocracy and not political expediency, as well as introduce bold and interactive policies.
Navaratnam said a good major reshuffle would raise the confidence of both domestic and foreign investments.
It had been reported that Prime Minister Datuk Seri Najib Razak was expected to announce a major Cabinet reshuffle as early as Friday and latest after Hari Raya next month.
Sources said Najib was considering a major overhaul of his administrative line-up instead of just bringing in MCA president Datuk Seri Liow Tiong Lai and Gerakan president Datuk Mah Siew Keong.
Universiti Malaysia Sarawak Social Science faculty senior lecturer Dr Jeniri Amir said the reshuffle was being done at the right time.
“We would like to see those who don’t perform, dropped,” he said.
“Najib needs to be daring enough to let go of the ineffective members and replace them with younger members who are more dynamic and aggressive when leading the country.”
Jeniri said that for the Cabinet to function effectively, the need for MCA representatives was essential as it would not only reflect multiracial nature of the country but, more importantly, Chinese ministers would understand the grouses of the community.
He said it was also important to keep the Cabinet balanced in terms of ethnicity, age and gender.
“He (Najib) needs to make sure that he gives the right position to the right person, irrespective of political parties,” he said.
Universiti Putra Malaysia analyst Prof Dr Jayum A. Jawan said it was not necessary to reshuffle the Cabinet in order to include representatives from each BN component party, but ministers should be made to be more sensitive of the multiracial society, instead of focusing on ethnic groups.
“The spirit of the members should be as ministers for the Malaysians, and not only as representatives of certain races,” he said.
“This needs to be learned by the members of the Cabinet.”
Political analyst Dr Chandra Muzaffar said it was a norm for the Cabinet to be reshuffled from time to time.
He said since the reshuffle would take place to make room for MCA and Gerakan representatives, it was a significant move to provide Chinese representation in the Cabinet.
“Apart from reshuffling to fit the new representatives into the different portfolios, the prime minister can also evaluate the performance of the ministers since it has been a year after the 13th general election,” he said.
“What we can hope for is that the reshuffling would result in a Cabinet that emphasises more on integrity and addressing the woes of the people.”
Universiti Sains Malaysia political observer Associate Prof Dr Sivamurugan Pandian said the reshuffle would be able to evaluate further which minister should be retained or dropped.
“The changes should be according to what the public wants,” he said.
“There is a need for a strong team to fulfil duties within the Cabinet, as well as their promises and manifestos.”
Sivamurugan said although most of the ministers were trying to deliver their best, the people still wanted a “report card” of the achievements and downfalls so there was no room for misinterpretation.
