Populated metropolis: Kuala Lumpur is a major international city, and it needs an able MP who knows KL, or the adjacent Selangor, to helm it. — AZMAN GHANI/The Star

IT’S almost certain that the Prime Minister needs to make some changes to the Cabinet line-up.

The only question is, will Datuk Seri Anwar Ibrahim merely fill up a vacancy, move ministers around or even replace one or two?

The Domestic Trade and Cost of Living Minister’s position has been vacant for a month now following the demise of the late Datuk Seri Salahuddin Ayub on July 23.

The position is currently held by Datuk Armizan Mohd Ali, Minister in the Prime Minister’s Department (Sabah, Sarawak Affairs and Special Affairs), but another minister will likely fill that slot.

The names speculated about have included Adly Zahari, Deputy Defence Minister and Alor Gajah Member of Parliament, and former Health Minister and Kuala Selangor MP, Datuk Seri Dzulkefly Ahmad, from Amanah.

When Anwar set up his Cabinet, he took great pains to ensure a smaller line-up, but after nine months, it doesn’t look as easy and practical as it initially did.

For example, Natural Resources, Environment, and Climate Change (NRECC) Minister Nik Nazmi Nik Ahmad must be the Minister with the heaviest workload. From climate change to floods to Malay reserve land, all of these are on his plate. There’s already talk that the PKR MP for Setiawangsa’s tasks could be divided into two ministries.

This is also because NRECC was previously a combination of the Environment and Water Ministry (KASA) and the Energy and Natural Resources Ministry (KeTSA).

Under the previous administration, KASA was led by Datuk Seri Tuan Ibrahim Tuan Man, while KeTSA was led by Datuk Seri Takiyuddin Hassan, both of whom are also PAS MPs.

There’s also speculation that the Federal Territories Ministry will be revived.

The responsibilities are presently shouldered by Anwar, who’s also in charge of the powerful Finance Ministry.

If the FT Ministry is set up again, it would be fair that an MP from Kuala Lumpur or Selangor be asked to head it since they would be most familiar with the issues at hand.

Kuala Lumpur is a major international city, and it needs an able MP who knows KL, or the adjacent Selangor, to helm it.

The city can’t be left to the Datuk Bandar alone to run because it has grown and is certainly the country’s most populated metropolis.

The PM surely can’t devote much of his attention to KL with his massive responsibilities.

Titiwangsa MP Datuk Seri Johari Abdul Ghani is among those presumed to be appointed to a Cabinet position if the PM proceeds with the changes.

It’s no secret that Johari, a self-made millionaire businessman, would be interested in becoming Finance Minister II. The FT Ministry wouldn’t be palatable for him although he’s from KL.

He’s certainly qualified for the FM II position and would be able to assist the PM in steering the country’s economy.

His only obstacles could well be from within his party, Umno, with fellow party leaders seeing such a promotion as a possible challenge to their hold on the party.

Johari, an Umno vice-president, has plenty of financial resources to back him, as well as being the boss of media platforms such as TV3, New Straits Times, Berita Harian and Free Malaysia Today news portal.

He is accessible to the media and confident. His knowledge of business and finance is also unquestionable.

A big question mark hovers over the position of Human Resources Minister V. Sivakumar, who’s still under investigation for alleged corruption relating to the recruitment of migrant workers.

The DAP MP for Batu Gajah has been dogged with various controversies since his appointment. If he’s replaced, the DAP isn’t going to give up the position to another party unless there’s a mutual swap.

Damansara MP Gobind Singh Deo’s name has cropped up, but he had declined a request from Anwar to join the Cabinet line-up because he wants to focus on his job as an MP.

It has also been said that Gobind was not keen to continue as a minister because he faced financial losses when he was the Minister of Communications and Multimedia.

As an experienced and sought-after lawyer, Gobind earns more as a professional.

But facing the current discontentment of the Tamil voters towards the Unity Government, the replacement of a Tamil MP, Sivakumar, with a non-Tamil, would be a burning issue that’s simply too hot to handle.

The Penang DAP is still grappling with the appointment of Jagdeep Singh Deo as the state deputy chief minister II following the dropping of Dr P. Ramasamy as a candidate in the recent state elections.

PKR members, which comprises a big group, would surely be monitoring the appointment since there are apparently no Indian state executive councillors from PKR in Pakatan Harapan controlled states.

It is said that Indians comprises 40% of the membership in PKR and certainly, their representation matters. Many Indian PKR members have been with Anwar even during the Reformasi days.

The geographical representations in the Cabinet have never been an issue in the past but as the election campaigns become more complex, the respective parties in the unity government have started taking greater interest.

The breakdown is as follows – Perak (6 including PM and DPM), Sarawak (5 including DPM 2), Negri Sembilan (2), Selangor (3 including Senator Tengku Datuk Seri Zafrul Aziz and Senator Datuk Dr Mohd Na’im Mokhtar), Kedah (1) Johor (4), FT (4), Sabah (2) and Penang (1).

Tengku Zafrul is the Investment, Trade and Industry Minister while Na’im is the Minister in charge of religious affairs. PKR secretary-general Datuk Seri Saifuddin Nasution Ismail, a Senator, is the Home Affairs Minister from Kedah.

Tengku Zafrul, who failed to get himself elected in last year’s general election, will complete his term as a Senator in around two years.

It would make strategic sense to strengthen the state’s numbers from PKR in the Cabinet given its current demographic, with Selangor as PKR’s most important state, and especially following the hammering by Perikatan Nasional. It’s only fair that Selangor gets a better deal this time.

On paper, a reshuffle looks simple, but that’s far from it. The lobbying has already begun although no one even knows if there will be one. The PM could just fill up a vacancy and leave everything intact.

Dr Mohammad Tawfik Yaakub, Senior Lecturer at the Department of Administrative Studies and Politics, Faculty of Administrative Science, University Malaya, said a Cabinet reshuffle was necessary for the PM to strengthen his administrative machinery.

Another political analyst, Lee Kuok Tiung of Universiti Malaysia Sabah said a Cabinet reshuffle at this juncture wouldn’t help the PM win over the Malay support lost at the elections in six states.

“In fact, it is likely to cause disharmony among the component parties of the unity government when it comes to who, or which ministry should be replaced,” he was quoted, saying Anwar would then have new problems to tackle.

It doesn’t look like a reshuffle will take place soon but possibly after the Pulai by-election on Sept 9.

The priority now is to retain that parliamentary seat as well as the Simpang Jerai seat, which is said to be challenging for Amanah to retain against a strong PAS challenge for Perikatan.

AROUND this time in 2000, I was seated in a hotel room in Kuala Lumpur with the late Singapore leader Lee Kuan Yew.

It was his first visit to Malaysia in 10 years and he was eager to be updated on our country.

The Singapore High Commission had arranged a series of small meetings. I was chosen to meet the legendary founding father of Singapore with five other young newspaper editors.

The lanky statesman looked serious and didn’t act like he was prepared to make small talk to break the ice.

We were aware of his reputation for being intimidating and intellectually strong. We had all heard numerous stories of him expecting members of the media to be well prepared for any interview he granted.

But he was pleasantly relaxed. It was his three aides who looked tense as they took notes.

“Young man, speak your mind. Tell me what you think. I am not a mind reader,” he said, looking at me to start the discussion.

And the off-the-record conversation flowed from there.

Last week, I decided to read an article I had written for The Straits Times in 2015 to recollect what we had discussed.

Changing political stage: A young voter casting her vote during the recent state elections. Most non-Malays simply can’t accept the kind of politics preached by PAS, but a generational transformation is taking place in the Islamist party. — CHAN BOON KAI/The Star.

Top of the discussion of issues dividing the two countries included Malaysia’s supply of water to Singapore, the relocation of Customs and Immigration facilities for Malaysian rail passengers on the island and the withdrawal of Malaysian funds from the republic’s pension scheme.

But the topic that struck me the most and remained etched in my memory was Lee’s questions on the position of PAS.

I would say that it appeared to unsettle him. He made no secret of his concern that young Malays were drawn to PAS.

It disturbed him that the Islamist party was becoming a serious player in the political landscape, with only moderate Muslims and non-Muslims keeping it from becoming more influential.

PAS’ growing impact and the controversial issues about race and religion may have been a Malaysian problem by then, but it was also a cause for concern for the predominantly Chinese population of Singapore.

I remember Lee asking me if I thought PAS would come to power at the federal stage, and if memory serves me right, I told him I didn’t believe PAS would ever form the federal government.

He didn’t respond to my theory, as expected. After all, he wouldn’t have wanted to be drawn into any Malaysian domestic issues.

But fast forward to 2023, and if I were to be asked the same question by his son, Lee Hsien Loong, the present PM of Singapore, I believe I would offer a more guarded reply.

PAS’ growing clout isn’t a concern for just non-Malays in Malaysia, but also for our neighbours and even the world.

The spectre of an Islamic state in Malaysia is no longer something to dismiss. It is increasingly becoming real.

It’s now the largest party in Malaysia, with 49 parliamentary seats from the 222, while the DAP has 40. Bersatu, PAS’ ally, has 26 seats.

Pakatan Harapan has 80 seats (PKR 31, DAP 40, Amanah seven and Upko 20. Pakatan is supported by Barisan Nasional, which has 30 seats — Umno 26, MCA two, MIC one and PBRS one).

Gabungan Parti Sarawak has 23 seats (PBB 14, SUPP two, PRS five, PDP two) while Gabungan Rakyat Sabah has six (direct members four, PBS one, Sabah STAR one). The others are made up of Warisan (three), KDM (two), PBM (one) and Muda (one), and independents (one).

As PAS continues to increase its seats at parliament and state levels, it’s likely that the Islamist party will become stronger in the coming years. It already has control of Kedah, Terengganu, Kelantan and Perlis. The party has shut down gaming outlets in Kedah and Perlis, while in Terengganu, gender segregation seating has been imposed in cinemas. In Kelantan, the curtains have come down on cinemas.

Last week, PAS Youth ordered a hotel resort to stop promoting the Songkran Water Festival, saying it had religious connotations, with the organisers relenting and apologising – with the word “Songkran” dropped as a compromise. Songkran comes from the Sanskrit word meaning “passing” or “approaching,” and is a water festival in Thailand, which is celebrated in April every year.

Since Perikatan Nasional’s emphatic victory, there has been much debate over whether the swing towards Perikatan resulted from the continuous support for PAS, or more accurately, a Malay display of resentment towards the Pakatan government – unhappiness at the leadership in Umno and the alliance with the DAP.

Sacked Umno leader Khairy Jamaluddin, for example, disagrees with the term “green wave,” which suggests “something that is deeply ideological.” In an interview with The Edge, he said that “the Malay voters just don’t want to give it (their votes) to Pakatan-Barisan” because “they can’t stomach Umno.”

He dismissed the existence of Malay extremism but admitted to a “Malay dissatisfaction with Umno, the Unity Government and economics.”

Khairy echoed what many others have said to Datuk Seri Anwar Ibrahim. The Prime Minister needs to fix the economy. Not immediately, but yesterday, having been PM for the last nine months.

Yes, he has inherited many structural problems, which can’t be undone overnight, and yes, he has managed to get billions of ringgit from investors, but he has to be seen to put his entire machinery on the economy.

The PM can use effective communications platforms to explain more clearly and in simpler terms, how his Madani concept stands for sustainability, care and compassion, respect, innovation, prosperity, and trust, which is his policy framework and government slogan.

Anwar doesn’t have the benefit of time on his hands. A week may be regarded a long time in politics, so the saying goes, but with four more years to go, that’s a short time.

If the unity government doesn’t move fast and competently enough, it won’t be surprising if Perikatan comes to power one day.

Pakatan should stop taking for granted that the non-Malay votes are fixed deposits. Pakatan was repeatedly warned before the state polls, but the coalition didn’t take it seriously.

In the end, an analysis conducted by political scientist Bridget Welsh reportedly showed a decline of 21%, 19% and 12% in Indian votes respectively for Pakatan in Negri Sembilan, Penang and Selangor.

On the other hand, the Indian votes for Perikatan in Penang, Negri Sembilan and Selangor, increased by 29%, 19% and 14% respectively. In general, there was a 15% drop in Indian votes, according to former DAP Member of Parliament Charles Santiago.

Right now, PMX isn’t a popular person among the Indian voters, following a series of mishaps.

The Chinese remained solidly with Pakatan because they simply can’t accept the kind of politics preached by PAS president Tan Sri Abdul Hadi Awang, but a generational change is taking place in the Islamist party.

Anwar will be 80 years old by the next general election while Hadi, who has a history of health issues, would be 79. Tun Dr Mahathir Mohamad would be 103 years old.

The political stage will surely be completely different. Younger PAS leaders with professional backgrounds and even Western training will emerge, and they would want to present a more progressive image.

It is necessary for PAS to start building bridges with the media and non- governmental organisations. The party has shut itself completely off from the media since the state elections following a gag order. PAS is here to stay, make no mistake, and it has to have a relationship with the non-Muslim groups.

But the question here is whether the non-Malays, including the bumiputra from Sabah and Sarawak, trust PAS enough, or if the non-Malays have become so insignificant and marginalised that their votes don’t matter anymore.

Anwar must win over the predominant Malays, but he can’t be perceived to be afraid of giving other Malaysians their rightful place in this country.

IT’S time to move on now that the elections in six states are over. Please remove the party flags and billboards as soon as possible because they’re truly an eyesore.

They are a reminder of how Malaysia has continued to waste taxpayers’ money on politics. The cost for the state polls totalled some RM420mil – just for the Election Commission to conduct the polls.

We have not even factored in the spending by political parties, which will surely run into millions, too. These political paraphernalia are another reminder of how some of our politicians have damaged race relations and nation-building in their selfish quest for power.

It has been an unproductive two weeks. Rather, it’s been longer than that because their narrative started even earlier.

The past two weeks have literally put our ministers and their staff on pause mode as they criss-crossed the six states to campaign.

If we were to look at the Prime Minister’s punishing programme, it’s amazing he even found time to travel to his Putrajaya office or even conduct meetings.

The bulk of his back-to-back schedule was simply being on the road to conduct ceramah.

He should, by right, be at his desk to pore over the piled-up files as well as focus his attention on running the country, especially to improve the economy.

Datuk Seri Anwar Ibrahim has been on the job for only nine months, and he has been put in a precarious position, which none of his predecessors had to go through during their time.

From ensuring his unity government remains intact to guaranteeing investments come to Malaysia, to fighting corruption and having to endure a 98-year-old politician who doesn’t know when to retire, it has certainly been tough.

But the worst of the lot are the selfish and irresponsible politicians who used race and religion to fish for votes.

They don’t care about the implications of their actions for Malaysia and her people. It takes much time and effort to build healthy race relations, but all this hard work has been undone by these irresponsible lawmakers.

After 66 years of independence, they have successfully made many non-Malays feel unwanted and blamed for almost every problem, many of which are fictional even.

And we are expected to believe their drivel that non-Muslims would not be marginalised if they form the next federal government? This, after hammering us daily?

Shockingly and sadly, there are even well-educated professionals who occupy positions in the public and private sectors, who buy the narrative that non-Malays are a threat to the position of Malays in this country.

Can non-Malays, who consider Malaysia their only home, be faulted if they ponder about their future in their beloved country?

Prior to campaigning, the police had warned politicians against touching on race, religion, and royalty issues, but were these directives even heeded?

The usual suspects made inflammatory statements, but the perception is they remain sacred cows.

Many of us also would like to remain hopeful and think that elections are silly seasons. Politicians are notorious for saying different things to suit their agenda.

When PAS was working with DAP, enough religious reasons were offered to justify their partnership, or rather, love relationship. After all, they had worked together in 1999.

It was the same with DAP, which used to wax lyrical about how fair the Islamist party was in running the Kelantan state government.

PAS has embraced and hugged Umno leaders at the PWTC, but when the love affair ended, it was back to square one – Umno has again been pushed into the infidel category.

Moving forward: With just two weeks left to National Day, it’s now time to put Malaysia first and hoist our Jalur Gemilang in the name of solidarity and unity! — KT GOH/The Star

These politicians get away with it because our electorate revere their leaders and the culture of holding figureheads accountable doesn’t exist.

Many of our political elites treat their parties as their family fiefdom and keep ensuring their wives, children and grandchildren remain in power, and most of us happily accept this feudalistic culture.

The same politicians will defend our education institutions but pack their kids off at an early age to study at international schools – where English is the medium of instruction – and even boarding schools in Britain or Australia.

Now, we read about the Dual Language Programme (DLP), which allows selected schools and classes to teach science, technology, engineering, and mathematics (STEM) subjects in English, coming to a standstill.

It has become a political see-saw with students and parents pleading for the programme to be retained.

By now, most of us are explicitly aware that the string of distinctions obtained by our SPM students really means nothing in the eyes of prestigious international education institutions.

Arguably, they don’t see the value of these distinctions because they seem too easy to obtain, with allegations that grades are compromised, and that English proficiency has been on the wane.

Well, our politicians who champion race and religion, and their children, are not going to suffer for their inadequacies, but it’s those in the B40 category who don’t have options.

There will always be the usual bogeymen for fallacies spouted by our politicians, and there will be enough voters who lap up the race and religion sales pitches.

With just two weeks left to National Day, one wonders if there’s enough time for the healing process.

Malaysians are a forgiving and forgetful lot. We move on fast, but we need leaders who can bring the country together.

Politicians who are unable and unwilling to put Malaysia together don’t deserve to be identified as leaders, or statesmen.

They can be accorded whatever title but, in the end, everything in life is temporary and we will be judged and held accountable.

Loyal Malaysians, please put Malaysia first, and not these self-serving politicians. And now it’s time to hoist our Jalur Gemilang in the name of solidarity and unity!

Capturing the ballot boxes: Pakatan chairman Anwar needs to urgently give that extra push in Selangor, especially with the non-Malays, before Aug 12. — AZMAN GHANI / The Star

ON the surface, Selangor seems to be a safe bet for Pakatan Harapan, and while it’s unlikely to retain its huge majority, it’s supposed to remain shielded.

But privately, Pakatan leaders are feeling unsettled despite their public announcements that Pakatan is confident of retaining the most important state.

Perikatan Nasional thinks it has a chance but isn’t sure of the Malay turnout. It needs at least 70% Malay attendance to potentially win.

Perikatan leaders are brazenly telling their listeners they have a 60:40 chance of a surprise victory as they intend to ride on the Green Wave, which they said is becoming a Malay Tsunami.

While Perikatan is openly using the race and religion narrative in Kedah, Kelantan and Terengganu, Pakatan has chosen to stay clear of such tactics.

Bersatu leader Datuk Seri Mohamed Azmin Ali admits voters are different in Selangor.

It’s also interesting to note that PAS secretary-general Datuk Seri Takiyuddin Hassan has placed a gag order on its members ahead of polling day.

It’s certainly an unusual directive but it’s safe to assume that the Islamist party doesn’t want its leaders and candidates to make alarming remarks which could only spook the people.

The party has a history of making statements re-enforcing its hardline image, which naturally always frightens non- Muslims.

With Kelantan, Terengganu and Kedah remaining untouchable, PAS sees its winning streak continuing in other states, too, courtesy of its Green Wave.

While Perikatan has a lesser chance of winning Penang, Selangor and Negri Sembilan, PAS believes it has realistic chances of grabbing more seats in these states.

In Selangor, there are 56 seats up for grabs with a simple majority of 29 and 37 seats to secure a two-thirds majority.

Before dissolution, the breakdown was PKR (19), DAP (15), Umno (5), Amanah (6), PAS (1), Bersatu (4), Pejuang (1), Warisan (1), and Parti Bangsa Malaysia (2) Independent (1) and vacant (1).

The Batang Kali seat fell vacant after its assemblyman, Harumaini Omar, who is Selangor Pejuang chief, was sacked from the state legislative assembly for absenteeism.

There are 39 Malay majority seats, and this is where the battle will be most intense, while the others are mixed with a 50% or slightly more non-Malay electorate.

The rough racial breakdown in Selangor are Malays 54%, Chinese 32%, Indians 13% and others 1%.

Let’s not forget that Indians make up around 10% of voters in about 66% of the seats in Selangor.

In Kota Raja, for example, Indians make up 40% of the electorate, according to political scientist Bridget Welsh.

The concern now is that Chinese voters, who are instrumental in stopping the Green Wave, could be complacent. Early indications reveal that Chinese electorate turnout remains less than 60%, which won’t be enough.

It’s also worrying that Chinese voters feel that the DAP seats are sure wins, so their votes won’t make any difference.

But Pakatan is more interested in the non-Malay votes in the Malay-majority constituencies to determine the outcome.

Interestingly, urban Malays could choose to vote for Perikatan this time, albeit not because they like PAS.

Having spoken to a wide range of my Malay friends, their grouses with Pakatan include the coalition’s purported inconsistent stand on corruption, unclear economic direction, Umno’s leadership, and even local councils’ poor job.

My neighbours, for example, are outraged that a PKNS-owned public golf course is planning to build and relocate a double-storey clubhouse next to their homes. The future status of the golf course, which serves as a green lung, is unclear as it gives rise to speculation of a housing development.

Those in the mixed-ethnic neighbourhood are upset about this and have sought legal action.

It has nothing to do with politics, but the Kota Damansara seat, which is under Pakatan, may just lose some votes.

Ironically, my disgruntled neighbours have praised Prime Minister Datuk Seri Anwar Ibrahim for his investment efforts, especially in getting Tesla to set up its regional headquarters in Selangor.

As the campaign enters the final week, the media has reported the lack of interest in ceramah, embarrassingly, with images of many empty seats. This could be attributed to ceramah now being live streamed on the Internet.

I don’t think that it’s because voters prefer to meet their candidates at marketplaces.

It’s impossible to cover an urban constituency with a huge electorate on foot and it would be foolish of candidates not to use social media to their advantage.

For candidates making their debut, even if only a few thousand viewers follow their online interviews with influencers, it still has a wider reach than the conventional market walkabout, especially in the urban seats.

PAS has done remarkably well in using TikTok and other platforms while Pakatan, which used to be ahead of the game against Barisan Nasional previously, seems to have lacked that savviness in the social media war.

Former Umno leader Tan Sri Shahidan Kassim, who is now with Perikatan, has been able to garner TikTok figures of a few million for each of his postings, thanks to his social media team.

Time is running out. Pakatan chairman Anwar needs to urgently give that extra push, especially with the non-Malays, before polling day on Aug 12.

Anwar has spent the last few days in Kedah, where he has been able to command huge crowds for his ceramah. He highlighted the importance of foreign investments as he listed them down one by one, but he needs to return to Selangor for the last push in the state that matters most.

Pakatan must stop taking for granted that non-Malay votes are safe deposits. They’re not. Anwar has to convince the Malays that Selangor is not Kelantan, Kedah or Tereng-ganu.

A large section of Malays may be angry with the Umno leadership, but there are bigger causes to consider.

Nothing is certain anymore. Pakatan must do more if it wants to retain the Jewel in the Crown.