OUR food choice can make us draw swords even quicker than our feelings for our nation’s politics – such is our passion for pleasing our palates. Begging to differ?

Well, when Michelin Guide representatives announced their choices for Kuala Lumpur and Penang at the Berjaya Times Square Hotel recently, the guests at my table, who were conveniently Penangites, were already providing a running commentary on their thoughts.

Naturally, there were disputes because some of the eateries accorded accolades aren’t even familiar to them since these Northerners had relocated to Kuala Lumpur ages ago.

But their biggest bone of contention was the glaring omission of nasi kandar, which is almost sacred food in Penang. At that moment, I was certain the Les Bleus had lost 10 Malaysian supporters for the World Cup final.

Haven’t these food connoisseurs heard of Hameediyah, the oldest nasi kandar restaurant?

It’s an institution because it has been operating since 1907. Mais oui!

The long queues at Deen Maju on Jalan Gurdwara or at the Kampung Melayu flats surely beat the lines at the Louvre.

Likewise, it’s blasphemous to leave out of the list our national dish, nasi lemak.

Being the only media person present, I was surprisingly interrogated on the mechanics of the selection process and left to explain who these secret food inspectors were to rate the quality of our hawker fare.

Under the Bib Gourmands category, mentions – not Michelin stars – are awarded to excellent restaurants for food being good and reasonably priced, and the choices included smaller restaurants for regional and traditional cooking.

In all fairness, I will agree with the selection of the no-frills Taksen restaurant in Penang. In fact, it’s even deserving of a Star. Likewise, the Green House Prawn Mee on Burmah Road.

As far as laksa and char koay teow are concerned though, that’s a hornet’s nest of a debate since Penangites are divided by which one is best.

For Kuala Lumpur, De.Wan 1958 surely deserves it. Chef Wan has made his Malay dishes as authentic as possible because that’s exactly how it should be done.

It’s better to win the hearts and stomachs of your Malaysian customers who want the real thing, than to suit foreign taste buds, and worse still, for those who can’t even pronounce the food they tasted.

But for the Michelin Star category, I would say Darren Chin deserves the recognition. He has worked very hard, and his food really tastes good, although it’s expensive! But you get what you pay for.

As a Penangite, I’m also proud that Aunty Gaik Lean’s Old School Eatery has made it to the list, although other Penang folk would surely insist that their chosen ones deserve to be awarded instead.

When the Nyonya restaurant was named, I quickly messaged my friend in China whom I’d taken to the eatery on Bishop Street recently, telling him that it now has a Michelin Star!

There seems to be less dispute over the Michelin stars, presumably because they are more expensive establishments.

Being the first year of the awards here, Michelin can expect plenty of flak, but that only bodes well. It means Malaysians are passionate and proud of their food.

After all, we’ve raised many south-of-the-border rackets with Singaporeans over the origins and quality of our food.

But the inspectors really need to get Malaysian partners involved for their tasting sessions. They can’t say they know better because as Malaysians, we surely know much better.

Still, it’s great that Michelin has agreed to come to Malaysia because this fanfare can significantly boost our tourism. Tourism is no longer only about sight-seeing since it also includes culinary, medical and even entertainment offerings.

Malaysia has become one of the favourite tourist spots in Asia because of its multi-racial character and compatibility.

But there’s also a lesson to learn – our restaurants and hawkers need to get their act together. They need to be cleaner and more health conscious.

Being a Penangite, I may be fine tucking into my favourite duck blood white curry mee or laksa assam stall next to a longkang (drain), but that experience would be horrible for the French Michelin food inspectors. Imagine them using restaurant toilets with no toilet rolls. Horror of horrors.

Let’s admit it, Singapore has fared much better than us in this respect.

The people behind it – CF Capital – or rather, entrepreneurs Faliq Nasimuddin and Chryseis Tan – deserve plenty of plaudits for bringing Michelin to Malaysia and setting a new standard.

They’ve surely played their part in bringing greater recognition to Malaysia.

But as the glittering night came to its conclusion, a friend who stays in Klang texted me – “Hello, the best bah kut teh is in Klang lah, not in KL.”

So, Selangor definitely needs to be recognised in next year’s list.

Still, let’s not forget the popular saying, one man’s meat is another man’s poison. As the old adage goes, you can’t please everyone all the time.

TENAGA Nasional Berhad chairman Datuk Seri Hasan Arifin found out that he had lost his job when he was overseas.

It came as a shock to him as there had been no indications that the contracts of political appointees in Federal statutory bodies (FSBs) and government-linked corporations (GLCs) would be terminated immediately.

He relayed his concerns of the instant sacking to senior Umno leaders, who are part of the unity government, asking for time to pack off and to hand over his corporate duties.

The directive, signed by Chief Secretary Tan Sri Mohd Zuki Ali, to the secretaries-general of all ministries, has already raised eyebrows as it was leaked.

Hasan, a former Rompin MP and former Pahang deputy mentri besar, was appointed to the chairmanship in October 2021.

He is also the chairman of Pengurusan Aset Air Berhad, another post that he would lose.

Another big name is Datuk Seri Idris Jusoh, the Federal Land Development Authority (Felda) chairman.

He was the Terengganu MB and Besut MP.

PAS also has its share of appointments including Haji Abdullah Latiff Abdul Rahman, a PAS Kuala Krai MP who heads the government-owned Hotel Seri Malaysia chain as chairman.

Another PAS leader Ahmad Fadhli Shaari, who is the Pasir Mas MP, heads the Skill Development Fund Corporation, a federal statutory body under the Human Resources Ministry.

At the South Kelantan Development Authority (Kesedar), the board is led by Nik Mohamad Abduh Nik Abdul Aziz, who was the PAS MP for Bachok.

The list of political appointees from Perikatan Nasional and Barisan Nasional in federal statutory bodies is lengthy, if not, exhaustive.

The Cabinet decision on Thursday has generally been lauded by the public, who feels that appointments to government related bodies and GLCs should not be regarded as rewards for politicians.

The public perception is that it used to provide well-paid jobs to politicians who didn’t make the cut or have lost their electoral posts but still wield clout in their parties.

But in all fairness, not every political appointee, are hangers on.

There are experienced and competent appointees, with strong academic and professional credentials.

Their contacts are regarded as helpful to even private companies.

It is understood that this was discussed at length during the Cabinet meeting with some Ministers bringing up these pertinent points but, in the end, a blanket decision was taken to clear all previous appointments.

There has been talk that some politicians have threatened to challenge the legality of their termination as it is provided for under the respective Acts such as the appointment of Mara board members under Section 3 of the Majlis Amanah Rakyat Act 1966 and in the case of Felda under Section 15 of the Land Development Act 1956.

These acts regulate who is responsible for appointing them, the number of board members and sometimes, the criteria for the appointments, according to a study by IDEAS, the Institute for Democracy and Economic Affairs.

Most political appointees, when contacted, have chosen to remain silent, saying they had yet to receive their termination letters.

”Let me read the letter first, then I will consult the party leaders for a collective stand before I can comment.

We will also study the legal implications,” one politician said.

Another BN politician pointed out that for uniformity, perhaps states like Penang and Selangor, should also end the appointments of politicians in their respective state statutory bodies.

Then, there is another obstacle.

With a leaner Cabinet, it meant less Ministerial positions to be distributed, and those who had to be left out of these government portfolios would expect to get posts to these government bodies.

In the case of Umno, the Deputy Prime Minister, Datuk Seri Dr Ahmad Zahid Hamidi, who is seeking to keep his president’s post, will be under tremendous pressure from his party leaders, who are used to being appointed to these posts.

Reduced to being in a non-dominant position, the new Cabinet decision would prevent Zahid from rewarding his supporters, especially the division chiefs.

For example, from 2015-2021, 12 politicians from Umno, Bersatu and PAS, have been appointed into the board of Mara, an important Malay agency.

According to IDEAS, from 2016-2020, 10 politicians came on board Felda with all 10 from Umno.

Under the PH government of 22 months, non-politicians were picked to head certain statutory bodies but Pakatan Harapan, on its own, may now find its hands tied, as compromises would have to give way.

There have also been suggestions that the Prime Minister Datuk Seri Anwar Ibrahim be given the discretionary powers.

But it is a good start.

Surely in a country of over 32 million Malaysians, there are more than enough qualified professionals, who can balance the political practicalities with the needs of the people.

Malaysia needs a reset, and many would find it hard to cope with new changes, but fresh approaches are necessary.

New administration must attract foreign investors, not shoot from the hip.

IT was a good headline grabber, but the purported violations, smacking of possible corruption, involving RM600bil now seem like just another political soundbite.

For a start, the staggering sum is larger than Bank Negara’s entire foreign reserves, which stood at RM509bil as of end-November. That should have been a red flag.

It is also reportedly twice the size of two Federal Government annual budgets put together.

Then, there was the insinuation that Perikatan Nasional’s election fund partly came from gaming companies involved in special draws, while there were also breaches in the awarding of the gigantic sum without tender on unspecified matters.

We are not quite sure why the newly-minted Prime Minister made the statement. Perhaps he was wrongly advised.

But the math doesn’t add up, to put it simply. Those who are not familiar with finances may swallow hook, line and sinker such political posturing.

Perhaps it was a way of telling off Perikatan, and particularly PAS, not to pretend to be pious as Anwar would probably be frustrated at the huge gains of the Islamist party.

But the bulk of the RM600bil, according to The Edge, is made up of the RM530bil fiscal package which included EPF withdrawals, moratorium on loans and direct cash assistance to poor families that came up to RM83bil during the Covid-19 pandemic.There were at least eight stimulus packages announced between March 2020 and June 2021 that were aimed at alleviating the hardships of people, including small businesses.

“These initiatives put money in the hands of the people and businesses. These were not government monies or government projects and contracts given out,’’ it reported.

In short, the business community is asking each other what tenders and contracts were purportedly given out.

Like all stimulus packages, there could be some leakages, but it certainly cannot amount to hundreds of billions, which even eclipses the 1MDB scandal.

The Malaysian public sector does not have RM600bil; it’s that simple.

The Malaysian Anti-Corruption Commission (MACC) has opened the investigation files and reportedly “called on relevant parties to submit information relating to the allegations of irregularities in the use of RM600bil” during the previous administration under Tan Sri Muhyiddin Yassin.

But the MACC seems to have downplayed the RM600bil figure, saying its investigations would only focus on RM92.5bil the government spent on Covid-19 management measures, which involved government funds.

While it is good to hear the PM pledge action against corrupt ministers, promising they would be sacked immediately, the reality will be something else.

It is easier said than done because the procedure would be for the PM or someone to report to the MACC, and even if the person is charged in court, the PM will still have to exercise patience until the minister is convicted at the Federal Court.

The elephant is in the room. He has a Deputy Prime Minister who still has over 40 cases to answer and surely, he cannot act, based on allegations.

As Anwar himself has said, a person is innocent until proven guilty. So, he may wish to exercise caution when he makes such populist statements.

The new administration needs to ensure it is no longer in opposition. So, it needs to stop “ceramah-style” rhetoric.

Malaysians will tolerate some missteps from Cabinet ministers, who are still on a learning curve, but ahead of a difficult 2023, ministers no longer have the luxury of time.

The Cabinet found eggs thrown in its face when it announced that eggs can now be imported – only to be told that Malaysian eggs are the cheapest in the region and that eggs have a short lifespan of just 21 days.

One dozen Grade C eggs cost RM4.92, but in Thailand, they cost about RM7.42, Singapore (RM12.24), Indonesia (RM6.55), Brunei (RM10.15), and Vietnam (RM5.78), according to Datuk Ameer Ali Mydin, the boss of Mydin Hypermarkets.

He has suggested that Malaysia, as an exporter of eggs, ban the export of eggs to Singapore and Hong Kong until the shortage is resolved.

The problem is caused by poultry farms which have cut down production due to the increase in the prices of maize and soya beans, the two main ingredients for chicken feed, with calls to the government to review ceiling prices.

The optics do not look good for the new administration if it continues to shoot from the hip.

The Pakatan Harapan government needs to learn from its many mistakes during its 22-month tenure when it sent out negative vibes – Malaysia in financial troubles with Tabung Harapan launched and Sarawak being declared a bankrupt state.

Malaysia needs to build investors’ confidence to encourage foreigners to put their money here as a new political culture is set. That is the narrative the world wants to hear.

It’s time to move on, please.

SHE may no longer be involved in politics, but don’t expect Tan Sri Rafidah Aziz to stay silent – she continues to boldly speak up on political issues.

The former minister has graced social media platforms with her interviews, giving her a wider reach now.

In fact, during the recent general election campaign, she spoke at a ceramah to support Pakatan Harapan candidate Hannah Yeoh.

She’s not called “Rapid-Fire Rafidah” for nothing. While she didn’t sound as loud since she was still recovering from Covid-19, she remained the same assertive Rafidah that we know and love.

Last week, the autobiography of Malaysia’s longest-serving female MP and International Trade and Industry Minister was launched by the Sultan of Perak.

In true Rafidah style, the book, aptly titled Rapid-Fire Rafidah: Being Malaysian First, spares no one. It is punchy and to the point. Rafidah calls a spade a spade.

Those who know Rafidah a.k.a. the Iron Lady, will know that she took her job seriously, with zero tolerance for incompetence or sloppy work.

Ahead of her book launch, she texted me twice to remind me to be “punctual and be seated by 9.15am sharp” and “come in a suit or in batik”.

In her book, she reveals how her Miti (International Trade and Industry Ministry) staff dreaded being given a drubbing by her because they could not answer questions on their department or ministry.

But the journey begins with her childhood days growing up in her grandparents’ home in Selama, Perak, and subsequently in Kuala Lumpur, where she studied at Convent Bukit Nanas (CBN).

Her grandpa had reservations about enrolling her in a Catholic school but “I did not become a Christian, nor was I influenced by Christianity,” she writes, though she never forgot the moral values instilled in her.

The sisters reminded her that “if one found a five sen coin on the floor, one should not take it because it could be someone’s recess money, or bus fare home.

“One should give it to the teacher to find out who has lost the five sen, and to return it to the owner.”

It had a lasting impression on Rafidah on the importance of discipline and honesty.

In CBN, she took part in choirs, singing Silent Night and other Christmas carols, and “again, all that did not push me into Christianity!” She said these were just songs and part of the year-end festivities, especially for Christmas.

Given her background, Rafidah shares an incident when her daughter, who was then in Form Five, and other students were banned from taking part in a concert which involved singing and dancing.

“On the day of the concert, there was an announcement that ‘All Muslim girls must go back to their classrooms and not participate in the concert.’ No reason was given. And this was in Convent Bukit Nanas!”

But her daughter, with Rafidah’s DNA in her, marched back to the hall with some girls and took part in the concert.

A fuming Rafidah brought up the matter at the Cabinet meeting and then prime minister Datuk Seri (now Tun) Dr Mahathir Mohamad related the story in a speech.

Rafidah said, “That was 30 years ago and today, it has worsened,” asking “how do we forge a Malaysian society when in school there are those who impart their own subjective interpretations of religion (and race) to the young?

“Worst, they carry such perverted values and impressions into adulthood.”

Rafidah has devoted a large part of her book to the need for all of us to embrace diversity and while we have our own racial lineage, “each and every one is a Malaysian.”

“I cannot understand why there are those who believe in and stand for the ketuanan (supremacy) of their race” and “when any group stands for supremacy of their race and religion, marginalising and denying others dissimilar to them, this is, to me, the most divisive and fractious elements that can erode the basic tenet that we as Malaysians stand for: unity in diversity.”

Rafidah, like many of us, fears what is coming, calling for a need to nurture the young at home and in school, including kindergartens, with acceptance and respect for diversity, and the concept of being Malaysians.

Ketuanan or supremacy of the Malays, she wrote, “is an extreme, inward-looking and divisive attitude, driven by an unbridled ego,” adding that it is meaningless in today’s borderless and competitive world.

But the best part of the book for me is how she handled complex trade negotiations, which sometimes ended in a deadlock, and how she would tackle them.

She provides plenty of real-life cases with world leaders who would try to get the upper hand in agreements which favoured their nations, but Rafidah, despite representing a small nation, would stand in their way.

Instead of narrating these cases in a dry academic manner, she provides interesting anecdotes.

In Moscow, she told her colleagues at the breakfast table that the tasteless fried chicken served was in dire need of chili sauce.

“The next morning a small bowl of chili sauce was on my table. Did the table have ears? Suffice to say, I showered with a sarong draped around me from that day on!”

This writer had the opportunity of travelling to Bosnia just when the war ended – with Rafidah and others in the Malaysian delegation led by Dr Mahathir – where we stayed at the Holiday Inn, which had been the scene of heavy fighting.

I remember my room had no windowpanes and was only covered with a big plastic sheet. Most of the hotel walls had plenty of bullet holes while a few Malaysians said there were bloodstains on the walls of their rooms.

Rafidah writes: “On my floor, on one side of the wall was a sign that stated, ‘Do Not Enter’. It was not a prohibited place. It was simply that there was no wall beyond the signboard!

“The entire part of the hotel on that side had been destroyed by the bombing during the war.”

While Rafidah calls herself a technocrat politician with a disdain for petty divisive politics, much of her book is about her entry into politics in Umno, and how she worked her way to the top of the hierarchy.

The former Universiti Malaya lecturer, who taught economics for 10 years, names Datuk Seri Anwar Ibrahim and Tan Sri Muhyiddin Yassin as her former students.

In 1975, she took her oath as an Umno supreme council member, and she walked into the old Umno headquarters at Jalan Tuanku Abdul Rahman six days after giving birth!

She spoke of the late Tun Abdul Razak Hussein, as Umno president, asking “you baru bersalin, Rafidah?” and she replied, “Ya Dato, hari ini enam hari.”

Datuk Syed Nasir Syed Ismail, another Umno leader, then asked loudly, “You belum lepas pantang? Baru enam hari dah berjalan. Tak bentan ke? (Referring to having post-delivery pains if one does not take care).

Rafidah, as expected, has made sure she took potshots at hypocritical politicians, especially those who pretend to be pious and religious but are instead corrupt and greedy.She describes them as “chameleons, changing their attire, tune and demeanour to suit the audience they happen to be addressing. It must take a lot of effort (and practice) to ‘act’ out different roles ever so often, merely to obtain and retain support and votes”.

Rafidah also takes a dig at politicians who must have a full complement of staff and supporters around them when they are travelling, visiting constituencies, and “even checking into the hospital”.

“It appears that the more people around the person, the more important he or she feels, or appears to be!

“And yet, when we leave this world to meet our Maker, we all must go ALONE! Regardless of what position we hold in life.”

And how did Rafidah earn her “Rapid Fire” moniker? She can’t recall but only remembers it was mostly used by Dr Mahathir for her quick responses to anyone, and in her words “and I mean ANYONE”, including her family members.

Her memoir should be compulsory reading for all the new Cabinet members to emulate her discipline and dedication to serving the nation, and certainly, making us proud in the process.

It’s a cliché, but they don’t make ministers like they used to. And I hope this book will be translated into Bahasa Malaysia as the predominantly Malay audience is crucial.

Thank you, Rafidah, for always speaking up for all of us Malaysians!

IT’S certainly not a perfect list of Cabinet line-up. Datuk Seri Anwar Ibrahim just has been pulled from all sides, including by some powerful figures, who insisted on their choice of representatives in Cabinet.

The Prime Minister took a longer time than expected to finalise his list as party members and partners in his new Unity Government bombarded his phone with messages and suggestions.

There were endless meetings with stakeholders which dragged late into the night as the deadline approached.

Even his 3pm press conference to announce the list had to be postponed until 8.15pm and even that began late.

The PM had to honour his pledge for a leaner Cabinet and at the same time, balance the demands of his partners.

Although it looked like Anwar had to labour through some horse-trading and appeared to be weak, the reality is his predecessors had taken a longer time than he did.

Tun Dr Mahathir Mohamad took 11 days to fully complete his full line-up after the GE14 in 2018, which many have forgotten.

Anwar is in a more complicated position. Despite having a two-thirds majority in Parliament, Malaysia is in uncharted waters.

Malaysia has never had a Unity Government comprising partners, which has just fought a bruising election against each other.

Many made open pledges of not wanting to work together and tore each other to bits during the recent campaign.

But now, they are in the same government, and they will most likely make strange bedfellows and would need a period of adjustment to keep the government intact.

The period of instability and uncertainties will probably cause some turbulence, but rational-minded Malaysians certainly want this government to work.

The alternative, with many hard-line theological politicians, seems unpalatable. Perhaps even dangerous to multi-racial Malaysia.

In 1969, after the race riots, the Barisan Nasional government was formed which included the then opposition PAS and Gerakan.

It was not called a Unity Government, but the new coalition government worked and functioned effectively under Tun Abdul Razak.

Fast forward to 2022, Anwar is certainly sitting on the hot seat. Besides having to face a strong Malay and religious centric opposition, PAS, with 49 Members of Parliament, will continue to throw doubt on his leadership.

Already, the Islamist party has used the narrative that the Pakatan Harapan government is dominated by the DAP.

Like it or not, Umno president Datuk Seri Ahmad Zahid Hamidi has thrown PH a lifeline for Anwar to be the PM and lead a federal government. Anwar is indebted to him as without Zahid, he wouldn’t be PM.

Zahid’s inclusion has earned the wrath of PH members but let’s not forget that he also faces the same emotional wrath from Barisan parties.

We do not live in a perfect and idealistic world. Realpolitik is the order of the day. Politicians say things they do not mean, and quoting Italian philosopher Niccolo Machiavelli, the end justifies the means.

There has also been a lot of backlash against the inclusion of former banker Datuk Seri Tengku Zafrul Aziz, who lost in the Kuala Selangor parliamentary constituency.

But this is not a new practice. Previously, political leaders who had lost in the elections have been made Senators and appointed to ministry positions.

This time, PKR’s Saifuddin Nasution, who lost in his bid for the Kulim Bandar Baharu seat, now heads the powerful Home Ministry while Barisan Nasional secretary-general Datuk Seri Dr Zambry Abdul Kadir, defeated in Lumut, is now the Foreign Minister.

For some reason, Zafrul has been targeted but like former Health Minister Khairy Jamaluddin, both are young talents that Malaysia needs.

Both unfortunately lost in the GE. Likewise, it is sad that PKR vice-president Nurul Izzah Anwar was beaten in Permatang Pauh by PAS.

But the inclusion of popular Segambut MP Hannah Yeoh is certainly welcome although she would actually be more suitable as Tourism Minister, given her personality, than Youth and Sports Minister,

Sarawakian leader Datuk Seri Tiong King Sing, who is Tourism Minister, will be more cut out for an economy related portfolio although it can be argued that tourism is a crucial revenue earner.

They are bright sparks in Malaysian politics that are ready to cut across the political divide and practise bipartisan politics in a mature manner.

Not many, like Zafrul, are ready to leave high-paying positions in the corporate world for politics. How many of us, who prefer to whine, are prepared to take up such a bold move?

It is important that Anwar now focuses on facing the headwinds of 2023. He has correctly put more emphasis on the economy, cost of living and food security, which will affect the people the most.

Besides the economy, the government needs to prove that it can deliver. If it does, then it does not need to focus its attention on politicians who rely on race and religion to win support.

There should be no place for the politics of revenge and vindictiveness by the new appointees. Leave the civil servants alone.

Malaysians want to see the end of corruption, a better education system, healthy economy, fairer government and one that can make Malaysians feel proud of their country again.