How effective is the Economic Affairs Ministry?
COMMENT | Universiti Malaya Professor Terence Gomez recently wrote an article entitled ‘Patronage is king in new Malaysia?’
This article elicited a rather rare response from the usually reclusive and enigmatic former finance minister, Daim Zainuddin, who registered his umbrage about having his photo printed (“reporting by innuendo”, allegedly) alongside Gomez’s article in The Star.
One of Gomez’s key questions involved the moving of key federal agencies from one ministry to another under Pakatan Harapan.
Prime Minister Dr Mahathir Mohamad created the new Economic Affairs Ministry under PKR deputy president Mohamed Azmin Ali just a few weeks after forming the government last year.
Gomez did not appear to directly question the formation of this ministry and the rationale for doing so, but Daim seemed quick to jump to its defence, writing:
“The cabinet is appointed by the prime minister; who he appoints and what portfolio they hold is entirely his prerogative. He can even have a minister in charge of durians if he so wishes, if he considers that a portfolio of durians is good for his administration and the country.”
Trying to play amateur psychologist should perhaps be frowned upon, but the defensiveness and sarcasm of these words might perhaps be interpreted as Gomez having hit a little close to home...
The headline of this opinion piece is a good and right one but alas, the article makes NO ATTEMPT to answer this question let alone evaluate the work of this particular ministry. Alas, this is the standard of journalism we have now. What kind of analysis is found in this so-called opinion piece?
The Economics Ministry is a political move by Tun M to keep all component parties in PH happy with respect to sharing the spoils of victory in GE-14. It is also a strategy for him to address concerns by the Malays about a non-Malay helming the Finance Ministry as well as to act as a balance and check against LGE. In a nutshell, the Economic Ministry is superfluous and all money matters pertaining to the Ministry should be under the Finance Ministry while other economic matters should be handled by other appropriate ministries.
There are more issues being thrown into this brewing pot of an article – politic ala Game of Throne, intrigues to camouflage the Bumiputra agenda and the shrewd showcasing of Lim to appease the Chinese, of course for their votes in GE 14. Then there were the two persons albeit old ladies who died while clamouring for free food coupons. How sad that they should die this way – for free food! What happened actually? Only knew that from the news. Was free food worth dying for? Or were they really starving and must have those food? Sometimes we have become a nation of suckers who crave for anything that is free, especially food. Thus politicians would have field days in organizing open houses during festival. And we are not short of takers, of course. It is also not uncommon, the ‘tapau’ mentality - as if it is not enough just to eat during those gatherings but also to wrap the food in plastic bags to be brought home. You’d see lots and lots of half-full plates with food, not eaten, because they had taken too much what their stomach could take. One does not see this regularly in first world countries. Perhaps Harapan has to be cognizant too that affluence should come with the right mentality as well.