Study finds worrying trend of mute ministers in Mahathir’s cabinet
KUALA LUMPUR: Participants in a study by Iman Research have concerns that cabinet members are not “strong enough” to keep a check on Prime Minister Dr Mahathir Mohamad.
Participants of focus group discussions (FGD) on Youth Perception On New Malaysia, also told Iman Research that they were tired of “revenge politics” following the May 9 general election.
The think tank’s head of research Vila Somiah said: “Participants, while openly saying they were glad that Dr Mahathir Mohamad had replaced Najib Razak as prime minister, still had concerns that others in the cabinet were not strong enough to put him in check.
“A participant said ‘the most troubling issue with PH is when Mahathir decides to speak out, but none of the PH politicians voice objections, for example, over the national car’,” she said.
She said participants felt that if cabinet members did not agree with Mahathir, they should be able to voice this.
The think tank held several FGDs from mid-July to the last day of Pakatan Harapan’s 100 days in power.
“Another interesting find was about revenge politics. Participants, young and old, felt uneasy, tired and fatigued by revenge rhetoric.
“For instance, how PH has constantly blamed Barisan Nasional for the Goods and Services Tax and how they often bring up the mistakes of the former administration.
“Participants also mentioned that, while they were happy to see a change in government, what should not continue is vilifying the old government,” said Vila.
Some also voiced uneasiness over PKR president-elect Anwar Ibrahim’s “fast rise” after May 9. “Some participants said they preferred him to remain as a Reformasi icon and that it was better for him to retire to give space for new faces,” Vila said.
Many participants, she said, felt Deputy Prime Minister Dr Wan Azizah Wan Ismail was a “puppet” and that her decisions were influenced by her husband, Anwar.
As for Finance Minister Lim Guan Eng, some felt he was too aggressive and undemocratic while others said such traits were necessary in a good leader.
“As for Education Minister Maszlee Malik, he is seen as indecisive, inexperienced and lacking in conviction over issues relating to black school shoes and the Unified Examination Certificate (UEC).”
She said although Youth and Sports Minister Syed Saddiq Syed Abdul Rahman was very well accepted, some felt he was an elitist and inexperienced and that he would not get his hands dirty but would just observe things from far.
Regarding the BN, participants felt that it was weak as an opposition and was struggling to be relevant.
“Some individuals are said to have shown respectable leadership qualities and doing their job as MPs. This includes Khairy Jamaluddin and Ahmad Maslan.
“All participants expressed a desire to see the opposition rise to become a proactive opposition, worthy of keeping the ruling government in check.
“Participants also said that if BN bucked up, they would be willing to vote for BN in the next general election,” she said.
A common sentiment that most participants had was that they did not really care about PH’s 100 day performance.
“Participants said they just wanted to see real changes and that they don’t even remember what the pledges were.”
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