Khairy uploaded a picture and his Cabinet colleague Hishammuddin appeared dejected before the Cabinet meeting. The younger minister tweeted, “So sad the brother’s England team lost!”
Also an England supporter, PM Najib used to pin his hopes on the Spaniards, which unfortunately were the first to pack home.
Following the footstep of Pele the piranha, Najib is poised to become the next target of ridicule. Many have said Spain lost because of Najib’s prediction.
Of course, that didn’t mean any harm. So, the prime minister needs not be overly bothered by it.
But why were the defending champions, full of confidence before entering the field, playing so poorly this time?
Sin Chew’s sports chief had his foresight. He said before the match that Spain were not as powerful as they were famous, and it wouldn’t be a surprise to anyone if they had to pack home early.
He explained, Spain is a lethargic team with all the old faces and ageing skills. From the Primera Liga to Euro Cup and then to FIFA World Cup, the same thing has been reused over and again. No new faces. No new tactics.
The same Castillas, Iniesta, Xavi, Alonso who are getting senile. The same Tiki-taka style, which is now no more intimidating.
Sure enough Spain should be defeated. The team needs to stand up again, but there is only one way for it to do so: restructure the entire team and bring in new blood. Revamp the strategy and change the playing style.
I AM NO football fan, and I am not going to pretend to be one. What should command more of my attention than FIFA World Cup s the upcoming Cabinet reshuffle.
It was rumored that the reshuffle would take place on Friday. Of course it didn’t, as Najib is still keeping everyone else guessing. On the positive side, that is deep thinking and prudence. On the negative side, that is indecision.
Meanwhile, there has been much hearsay that Muhyiddin Yassin would quit his DPM post in favor of Hishammuddin, while Ahmad Zahid’s home minister post might have to make way for Nazri Abdul Aziz.
However, with both Muhyiddin and his boss denying there would be a new DPM, little hope that the hearsay would become a reality. Based on Najib’s style of doing things, the Cabinet reshuffle is not going to be a major one, save for a few new MCA and Gerakan faces whom not many would actually be bothered.
Another widely known rumor is that the ongoing religious and ethnic conflicts in the country have been a result of Umno’s internal fight with the motive of embarrassing the prime minister.
There are the more moderate and aggressive within Umno, a fact that is no longer new. The moderates received a boost when Najib first took office, pushing ahead the much needed economic and political reform agendas while mitigating inter-racial and inter-faith conflicts. The 1Malaysia slogan used to be spirit-lifting among many.
Nevertheless, after the election setback, the aggressives within Umno banked on the opportunity to take the lead, putting the blame on the PM’s moderate and liberal policies. Given in to the pressure from the radical faction, Umno was making a determined shift towards conservatism, the Malay chauvinism and Islamic policies brought into limelight.
From the use of the word “Allah” to apostasy, Bible seizure and controversies over Islamic state or secular state, the radicals in Umno have taken on an uncompromising stance, over and again impacting on the government’s stand and the earlier decisions made by the cabinet.
Meanwhile, the moderates are muted, and many a time the prime minister has remained quiet.
BN’s moral remains depressed while the government lacks a distinct direction.
The opportunity that lies before our eyes is that we can put things back on track again through a Cabinet reshuffle.
Malaysians generally look to the PM to take out the more radical in the government in favor of the moderates in hope of resolving the current doldrums. We also hope that after a whole year’s silence, Najib will decisively avert to moderation while entrenching his economic and political reforms.
A Cabinet team is not unlike a soccer team. It needs good leadership, innovation and firm executive powers. Not internal conflicts and deviations.
The Cabinet needs to have a core thinking and resolved administrative targets in order to put things under control and lead the nation to greater development.
The problem with the Spanish soccer team is not about the failure of the Tiki-taka style, but the senility of the team which makes it impossible to catch up with the speed and accuracy requirement of Tiki-taka, If however the team will bring in some new blood, innovative ideas and changes, its Tiki-taka style will reign supreme again.
The same for Malaysians’ expectation from our government.
* This is the personal opinion of the writer or publication and does not necessarily represent the views of The Malay Mail Online.
