KUALA LUMPUR, Dec 26 — MCA president Datuk Seri Wee Ka Siong has asked Youth and Sports Minister Syed Saddiq Abdul Rahman if he would quit the Cabinet after the latter slammed the Public Service Department (JPA) for cutting the critical service allowance.

In a statement, the Opposition lawmaker said that if Syed Saddiq disagreed with Prime Minister Tun Dr Mahathir Mohamad’s Cabinet decision on the matter then he should tender his resignation instead of simply voicing his disagreement on social media.

“Isn’t Syed Saddiq a full-fledged Cabinet minister who attends Cabinet meetings every week? Why didn’t he bring his outspoken voice during the Cabinet meetings? Is it proper to throw a tantrum in public but remain quiet during Cabinet meetings?

“Does Syed Saddiq not understand the principle of collective responsibility practised by Cabinet Ministers?” he asked.

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“If any ministers are at loggerheads with the prime minister, there’s only one way,  which is to resign. That’s the Westminster System that is practised in Malaysia,” Wee added.

Furthermore, he pointed out that the JPA is an agency under the purview of the Prime Minister’s Department, led by Dr Mahathir and Deputy Prime Minister Datuk Seri Dr Wan Azizah Wan Ismail.

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Wee said it was very unlikely that the new policy was not discussed at the Cabinet level or at the very least by the committee chaired by the prime minister.

“If the prime minister has agreed with the JPA working paper, what else is Syed Saddiq protesting? If he is unhappy and want the decision to be reviewed, as a Cabinet member he should raise this matter during Cabinet meetings to make a collective decision.

“Has Syed Saddiq gone through this process?” Wee asked.

The Ayer Hitam MP then accused the young minister of being “a good actor” when he took the populist’s stand and criticised the JPA for abolishing the incentive for newly minted civil service professionals serving in various roles particularly healthcare, starting on January 1, 2020.