Prime Minister Datuk Seri Ismail Sabri Yaacob.

MALAYSIANS must have hoped Datuk Seri Ismail Sabri Yaacob would announce a lean Cabinet line-up, but the political climate obviously denied him that opportunity.

He did the right thing by not appointing a Deputy Prime Minister since there’s no urgency for it.

The Prime Minister has had to fend off intense demands, lobbying and pressure to appoint one.

It would have caused unnecessary friction had he chosen one, but in the first place, there’s no provision in the Federal Constitution for a DPM. It’s only a practice, but for succession and risk management reasons, having a deputy helps. Malaysia’s political history, however, is filled with DPMs who failed to reach the pinnacle of their political ambitions.

The new Cabinet line-up is as bloated as the previous one under the Muhyiddin administration. Ismail Sabri had to juggle Umno, Bersatu and the interests of Barisan Nasional parties, as well as those from Sabah and Sarawak. For a small country, we certainly have too many politicians.

For those expecting fresh faces, including professionals with non-political interests, it didn’t happen because that’s not how politics works.

His critics have called it a “recycled Cabinet” and “cut and paste Cabinet.”

The only exception is banker Tengku Zafrul Aziz, who retained his job as Finance Minister, despite calls to the PM that a politician should take the job since the general election will possibly be within eight months from now.

Some political analysts have claimed that Ismail Sabri, in drawing up the list, had also taken into account the coming party polls.

Ismail Sabri, who is an Umno vice president, is said to be eyeing a higher party post. If that it true, it means he considered who would be able to deliver him the votes, depending on which states or wings they come from.

Whatever the reasons, he should have done better. Some ministers have no reasons to hold any Cabinet positions as they have failed to inspire or deliver in their previous Cabinet or government posts. Giving these persons a new lease of life is hard to justify.

If this Cabinet line-up is meant to be operational, ahead of a fresh poll for Ismail Sabri to win the mandate, then it makes perfect sense, because there’s no point for newbies to learn the ropes.

The new face is Datuk Seri Ahmad Faizal Azumu as Youth and Sports Minister. Popularly known as Peja, he is also the Bersatu deputy president.

He has taken a beating on social media, but he’s really an affable person.

His recent food review video on his curry mee lunch in Putrajaya has made him the butt of jokes, but he only did it because a food seller had asked him to help endorse his fledgling business, which has suffered from the ravages of the pandemic.

He obliged and probably regrets it now.

Many of our Malaysian politicians, including the PM, are very accessible. Political reporters can easily call up our ministers, unlike in Singapore or Hong Kong, for instance, where that’s impossible.

Ismail Sabri has also been criticised for doing food reviews, so naturally, it has raised eyebrows. Now that he’s PM, his endorsement of local businesses must be curtailed.

He is no longer a mere news byte among Malaysians – the world will be watching him now. So will many angry Malaysians who can say whatever they want on social media, where the reach is swift and consequences brutal.

Any explanation that follows would be perceived as apologetic or just damage control.

Visiting a disaster area in Kedah last week, the PM was shocked to see a huge billboard welcoming him. If that wasn’t bad enough, he had 51 cars, supposedly, joining him as a convoy.

Prior to that, several excited officials on a plane to Kedah took pictures with him. It didn’t go down well with most Malaysians, although many would have done the same.

The officials who put up the billboard should be reprimanded because it is understood that the Prime Minister’s Office had advised them against it, but they proceeded with the plan anyway.

It’s time for the PM to create a new culture – there’s no need for sycophants to turn up in full force at every event the PM attends.

Surely party members and government leaders have work to do, instead of taking time off to be near him and break every Covid-19 SOP in the process.

So, when the rakyat see these inane acts, they rightly question why these people broke the rules instead of setting a good example. Importantly, why did no one tell those half-wits off?

It will be a welcome change if the PM issues a directive for his visits or events to be “modest”. There’s no need for a posse of hangers-on. If you have no business, stay away. Besides, the pandemic is raging, so please don’t infect the PM or reporters covering the events.

And since we are on this, sir, could you please do away with the bunga manggar and kompang, and lion dance, when all is back to normal? Keep your speeches simple too, and Malaysians would love to see you remove the obligatory 10-minute salutation.

Most of the people – the untitled Tuan Tuan dan Puan Puan – don’t appreciate being at the bottom of the pecking order.

In Africa, most speeches start with the person addressing the VIP, followed by “all protocols observed,” and then the person gets on with the real business of delivering the speech.

Ismail Sabri has a chance to prove that an Umno PM can reform and make changes, the simple ones, as well as the complicated ones.

He has set off with a refreshing change of getting the Opposition to work with him.

Let’s give credit to Opposition Leader Datuk Seri Anwar Ibrahim, too, for expressing his willingness to support Ismail Sabri’s leadership if the PM takes a more “pro-rakyat” route.

He also said that Pakatan Harapan agreed that cooling down the country’s “political temperature” was important as priority should be on managing Covid-19-related issues.

And should a confidence vote for Ismail Sabri be tabled in the Dewan Rakyat, Anwar hinted that Pakatan may choose to back it.

Malaysia needs bipartisanship badly. We must work towards a mature democracy. Politics may be able to obtain power, but politicians should be aware that it’s also about serving the people. Many seem to have forgotten this.

While we practise the Westminster democracy of the government and opposition, there’s no reason why both sides can’t work together on areas of common interest, such as reforms to institutions and laws.

Limiting the tenure of the PM to two terms or a maximum of 10 years makes sense, for example. So does allowing 18-year-olds to vote in the general election.

There has to be less combative politics, where scoring points seems to be the only approach. Malaysians are tired of this, but when so-called Members of Parliament display such uncouth posturing, it encourages their supporters to emulate their stance.

This is amplified in how comments are made on social media, where sadly, respect and civil discourse are in short order as debates degenerate into name-calling.

Malaysia celebrates its 64th year of independence this year. There is tremendous disdain for politicians from both sides.

We deserve more and better. Likewise, the PM deserves a chance to do the job.

In the hot seat: Ismail Sabri signing the instrument of appointment as Malaysia’s ninth Prime Minister at Istana Negara yesterday. — Bernama

TRUST in politicians is certainly nothing to crow about right now. The King, who was heading back to Pahang after his meeting with fellow Rulers on Friday, had wanted to install the new Prime Minister only tomorrow.

But they advised against it, insisting that His Majesty should conduct the ceremony at Istana Negara yesterday and not wait a day longer.

There was a good reason for patience. After all, the Yang di-Pertuan Agong had to go through the tedious process of sourcing a successor for Tan Sri Muhyiddin Yassin following his resignation as PM.

His government collapsed when 15 Umno members of Parliament withdrew their support.

After causing all the hassle and leaving the nation on tenterhooks, Umno has gone back to working with Parti Pribumi Bersatu Malaysia to form a new government.

The only difference this time is that the PM, Datuk Seri Ismail Sabri Yaakob, is from Umno and the deputy prime minister, if one is chosen soon, will be from Bersatu.

Under the Federal Constitution, there’s no provision for the post of DPM, and there’s no obligation to appoint anyone even, but succession planning is always advisable.

In Muhyiddin’s case, when he was forced to vacate his post, having a DPM eased the transition.

The Rulers feared that politicians would start to make fresh deals over the weekend, with no end in sight if the new PM was not formally announced and sworn in quickly.

No doubt the Palace didn’t enjoy having to meet MPs to listen to their stand personally because lawmakers are known to treat their statutory declarations frivolously.

Previously, some had signed more than one letter of allegiance, and leaders had been granted their audience with the King because of claims of having secured the numbers.

Ahead of the Rulers’ meeting, all kinds of allegations and innuendoes were made about the royals, with accusations of them taking sides and being close to the Opposition.

There were claims that the Palace had intervened and was trying to force a unity government, which clearly contravenes the Federal Constitution that stipulates the person who commands the majority in the House of Representatives would be PM. But of course, all this was not true.

It doesn’t matter if we like Ismail Sabri, or if we think he’s not smart, qualified or handsome enough. The crucial point is, he secured the most votes at 114.

Rules can’t be bent just because some of us dislike the person who earned the most votes from among our elected representatives.

But as the saying goes, “Man proposes, God disposes”, which essentially means that human beings can make any plans they want but it’s God who decides their success or failure.

There was also another point of deliberation on the Rulers’ minds. If they had their way, they wouldn’t want the general election to be delayed because they want Ismail Sabri to prove his mandate.

But that’s easier said than done. So they invited Elections Commission officials to share their thoughts on how elections could be conducted in a post-Covid-19 scenario.

There’s no chance of a GE being held this year because the pandemic is still raging, and the entire nation has yet to be fully vaccinated.

The Rulers were also hoping the PM would focus on fighting the virus and setting the economy back on track. The last thing they want is for Ismail Sabri to be distracted by politics.

Still, the call for elections is the prerogative of the Executive and not the Rulers. There’s at least a year and a half left before the term expires. The Federal Constitution, however, stipulates that the King must give his consent to the dissolution of Parliament.

The roles of the Constitutional Monarch and the Executive are clearly defined in the Constitution. Depending on the political inclination of lawyers, the interpretations sometimes differ, but that doesn’t mean the lawyers or experts are right.

There has been a lot of despair over the direction the country is taking, especially with politicians letting us down, the number of infections spiralling up and jobs being lost.

The lack of leadership and clarity has dampened the spirit of Malaysians. If we don’t believe in our country, how can we convince investors?

The onus is now on Ismail Sabri to prove his critics wrong. He has no time to celebrate and has to hit the ground running.

Get the best brains, regardless of their race, to help you uplift the nation. Show that you are a Malaysian leader who knows how to recognise the strength and talents of our people.

Protect the rights and interests of all Malaysians and not merely one race. You’ve been chosen to take the hot seat now, so show us your mettle.

THE Prime Minister’s offer for several institutional reforms will likely only be seen by his critics as a last-minute desperate attempt to salvage his wobbling government.

His opponents have even dismissed it as a form of bribery and have demanded his immediate resignation.

It appears that Tan Sri Muhyiddin Yassin is clutching at the last straws and racing against time as the clock ticks away to the Parliament meeting next month.

His promise of reforms has obviously come late, but it’s certainly a significant step in re-booting Malaysian politics.

There is an open offer for a Confidence and Supply Agreement, which is a political arrangement where an opposition party agrees not to vote against a minority government to pass votes of confidence or approve budgetary matters.

It sounds attractive, but the timing is wrong, and his opponents know they have the upper hand. They don’t need to offer him a lifeline.

The arrangement comes with neither political obligations nor the full backing for the government.

Last year, even Muar MP Syed Saddiq Syed Abdul Rahman suggested it as a means to avoid confusion and chaos for the public, but understandably, the young man is no longer keen to discuss this option now.

Now, the new promised reforms come with equal funding for all MPs, PM’s two-term limit, anti-hopping laws, more parliamentary committees with 50% opposition chairmanship and the implementation of Undi 18.

But for the Malaysian electorate, we should now find out if the other parties including PKR, DAP, Amanah and Umno can make a better offer than what Muhyiddin has in store for us.

It doesn’t matter if we want to kick Muhyiddin out immediately, but let’s ask the PM aspirants if they can up the ante. Do better, please. But don’t promise us things that aren’t feasible, like in GE14.

All over the world, governments no longer enjoy a strong majority, and this will possibly happen here, too, even after the coming general election, where we could be back to square one.

Right now, the backdoor government under Muhyiddin is in danger of being replaced by another back door government with another small majority, and we know of all the potential permutations.

The last thing Malaysia needs is another government that lasts just a year and a half and is reluctant to face Malaysians to gain a proper mandate.

The coming week will be crucial as we await a potential arrangement, at least for a few months, to put the reforms in place until a general election is called, where we, and not politicians, will decide our fate.

In the past week, Malaysians have suffered information overload following the political impasse, so much so, even the media is struggling to authenticate documents circulating in social media.

Topping the list has been the alleged correspondence between the Palace, Prime Minister and the Dewan Rakyat Speaker.

These are obviously highly confidential letters, if real, so there should be no chance of them being leaked. After all, it should only involve these eminent personalities and a few high-level staff. Maybe a secretary.

I would think these people are sworn to secrecy. Even staff at the chief executive officer floor in the corporate world know their roles in protecting confidential matters.

We can assume these missives would be hand-delivered, and not via Pos Laju or some delivery service. And possibly, even escorted by the police.

But suddenly, Malaysians are flooded with all kinds of information that seems so real that even experienced news people, me included, have been fooled. Not once, but a few times.

The media has resorted to cross-checking with each other to verify details, but until now, only some free-wheeling news portals are prepared to quote unnamed sources for such reports.

Surely private meetings at the highest level are classified under the Official Secrets Act.

I have also attempted to call those named in these documents, in my best capacity, to get things straight.

Last week, Datuk Azhar Azizan Harun’s parliament office issued a “Palsu’’ (fake) statement to dispute a press release, while the Prime Minister’s Office denied a release, which suggests the PM had met the Election Commission in preparation for a general election.

Without doubt, we can sense the friction between the Palace and the Federal Government, but the jurisdictions of both sides are clearly spelled out in the Federal Constitution.

For example, only the PM has the authority to instruct the Speaker on when to call for a Parliament meeting, such as a special one to discuss if he has the confidence of the House.

It’s clearly the authority of the Executive, so it won’t seem right if the Speaker or PM takes an order from the Palace.

But the PM can’t call for the dissolution of Parliament without the consent of the King, who wields discretionary powers on this matter.

It’s safe to say that a general election will have to be called at some point soon, but the King has that power to decide, and not the Executive.

Right now, though, it’s likely that few Malaysians are excited about the idea of going out to vote when we have a raging pandemic with spiralling daily infections.

Malaysians are struggling to maintain their businesses to retain their jobs, to put food on the table, and stay out of the dreadful disease’s way.

Thanks to the politicians, the number of cases spiked after the Sabah state elections last year, so, do they still dare threaten our lives to fulfil their political ambitions?

It’s bad enough that their attention has shifted to counting the number of statutory declarations they’ve collected and pursuing Members of Parliament to declare their support.

Those figures seem to be their paramount concern, instead of bringing the number of Covid-19 cases down and putting the economy back on track. It’s sad, but our politicians have lost the plot.

At the rate we’re going, investors will walk out the door.

They don’t even have to knock on the doors of our Asean neighbours with their billions because Vietnam, for example, is waiting with their doors wide open, and with a red carpet, too.

But in Malaysia, we’ve been reduced to a pathetic lot. We spend our time busily checking the latest information, real or fake, on social media and expressing our views on WhatsApp chat groups, without even considering if they’re appropriate forums, or if we share our politicians’ enthusiasm.

The logical steps would be to ensure Malaysia has reached at least 70% vaccination, and then reopen the economy in stages, but with enhanced standard operating procedures. These should be our priorities.

We can only afford two more months before we reach that point. We will still be firefighting even if these goals are met because now, it’s clear that the double-dose vaccines are not silver bullets and more deadly variants have emerged.

But at least there’s some form of assured protection. The virus won’t go away because it’s set up to be endemic.

It would be very foolish for us to follow the American and British ways of allowing gatherings and even removing masks. Good luck to them.

Hospitals in the US have already reported a surge in cases, and a check on the Covid-19 trackers still indicates an average 300,000 cases a day in Britain, despite the media proclaiming drastic drops.

On Friday, according to the UK official site on Covid-19, the reported numbers were 33,074 and in the last seven days, the total was 199,206. The number of fatalities on Friday was 94 and the last seven days totalled 615.

Britain’s population comprises 89.2% with the first dose and 75.7% with the second dose.

In Malaysia, until Wednesday, 69.8% of the adult population has received the first dose while 40.7% have completed both doses.

Our Founding Fathers started the journey for Malaysia with great hope for all of us. They probably never envisioned the state we’re in now.

Strained session: The five-day special meeting to discuss Covid-19 degenerated into a debate over the legitimacy of revoking the Emergency laws.

Politics can take a back seat while we head for herd immunity and restore our economy.

FORMER British Prime Minister Harold Wilson famously coined the phrase “a week is a long time in politics.” Given what has happened in Malaysia, a month could be an eternity.

Much can happen over the next 30 days ahead of the Parliament meeting next month as it will allow Tan Sri Muhyiddin Yassin to buy time and make strategic manoeuvres.

The PM is now short of 11 Members of Parliament after Umno president Datuk Seri Ahmad Zahid Hamidi claimed he and his contingent had signed statutory declarations to withdraw support for Muhyiddin.

Malaysians by now are aware that SDs are worth nothing more than the paper they’re written on. The King even had to personally ask these lawmakers about their position as they’re known to have signed letters of allegiance to whomever they wish to place their bets on. In their case, that’s more than one.

There aren’t many true “honourable” MPs. If you think otherwise, then you must be a fanatical political groupie, or you’re just naïve because politicians change their tune all the time.

It’s clear Muhyiddin needs to shore up his support in the next 30 days to win the vote of confidence at the Dewan Rakyat.

Call it horse trading if you want, but that’s how it works. The PM isn’t the only one because the Opposition is just as guilty.

In September last year, Datuk Seri Anwar Ibrahim claimed he had obtained “strong, formidable and convincing” support from MPs to form a government and announced that Muhyiddin’s government had collapsed.

By October, he managed to get an audience with the Yang di-Pertuan Agong Al-Sultan Abdullah Ri’ayatuddin Al-Mustafa Billah Shah and supposedly handed over documents he claimed to indicate he had parliamentary support. But His Majesty wasn’t convinced, and neither were most Malaysians.

Last week, Anwar repeated that rhetoric of having the numbers. He has always been busy trying to get MPs to cross over to his side. The appropriate word is defection but for Malaysians, it’s frogging.

Let’s also not forget that Datuk Seri Shafie Apdal only managed to form his Sabah state government in the 2018 elections after he got Barisan Nasional state assemblymen to defect.

BN won 29 seats and Warisan Plus had the same number, but BN had support from Sabah Star party. Two days later, the BN government collapsed because Shafie managed to persuade two Upko and four Umno state assemblymen to take a “leap of faith.”

So, all our prominent political leaders are guilty, at some point or another, of getting elected representatives to be frogs.

Even Tun Dr Mahathir Mohamad encouraged defections from Umno to Bersatu, until he lost his leadership in Bersatu.

Defectors included Datuk Seri Hamzah Zainuddin, Datuk Seri Mustapa Mohamed and Datuk Seri Dr Ronald Kiandee, who all hopped into Bersatu. In fact, 15 Umno MPs defected, and so, Umno is well justified to be upset with Bersatu.

Incredibly, some of us who are furiously sending texts deploring possible defections, were the same people who cheered when Umno MPs joined Bersatu under the Pakatan Harapan government because it suited our political beliefs then.

But the worst defection exercise was in 1994, when BN, under Dr Mahathir and his then deputy, Anwar Ibrahim, toppled Joseph Pairin Kitingan’s PBS Sabah state government.

PBS won 25 seats and BN 23 out of 48 seats. Pairin waited for 36 hours outside the Istana gate to eventually be sworn in.

I was there as a reporter witnessing the event, but his government collapsed when BN managed to get two PBS representatives to cross, and soon, more joined when the PBS government collapsed.

None of our politicians are wholesome enough to talk about defections, but incredibly, they now do it with straight faces. That’s because they forget or want to forget to embrace their political allegiance.

Some look the other way because their partners are engaged in the amphibious exercise, yet they eloquently deride frogging in public.

Now, we hear lawmakers from both sides claiming they are getting calls to jump. Last week, Muar MP Syed Saddiq Syed Abdul Rahman (Muda) and Puncak Borneo MP Datuk Willie Mongin (Bersatu), revealed that they were being wooed.

The only way to stop these defections is to have an anti-hopping law. However, we know why our politicians only talk about it and not act on it because they know defections ultimately help their cause.

Fast forward to 2021, and we’re back to the same charade. The five-day special meeting to discuss Covid-19 degenerated into a debate over the legitimacy of revoking the Emergency laws.

Fighting Covid-19, suggesting ways to overcome the pandemic and putting Malaysia on track again clearly wasn’t the agenda of the lawmakers, although younger MPs including Khairy Jamaluddin, Ong Kian Meng, Nurul Izzah and Fahmi Fadzil displayed logic and even bipartisanship in their presentations.

It didn’t help that law minister Takiyuddin Hassan dropped the bombshell that the Emergency had ended, which caught everyone by surprise. His seemingly casual revelation was deservedly condemned.

Even His Majesty expressed great disappointment and demanded a debate on the matter, only for Parliament to end abruptly and be slated to reconvene next month.

But Ahmad Zahid has yanked the rug from beneath Muhyiddin’s feet and cornered him at a cliff, where he’s precariously perched. Without the 11 Umno MPs, and with possibly even more exiting, the PM must pull a rabbit out of the hat to get to safer ground.

He needs new political arrangements because none of the political factions can form a government on their own.

While the Opposition wants the PM to go, its choice of PM is a tricky proposition because the factions don’t trust each other.

It’s also clear that the Kluster Mahkamah (the MPs facing corruption charges) has failed to persuade the PM to let them off the hook, so they must now topple the existing government to save themselves from the slammer.

The endgame for them is to form a new federal government themselves and get the charges dropped, or make an electoral pact with other opposition parties, likely with the same conditions.

Have any of our political leaders publicly pledged to see these corruption charges through without political interference under their administration?

Or would they also drop these charges once they come into power, since they’re all purportedly political persecutions?

Past attorneys general have appeared to readily play the compromising game, although they like to portray themselves as men of high principles and integrity.

After all, they were appointed by the PM, so the perception is that they are indebted to their masters.

Corruption cases have been mysteriously dropped whenever new governments are formed, especially when it involves top ruling leaders.

Our priorities are all wrong. Why should we even care about these politicians when thousands of us are getting infected, hundreds dying, hospitals running out of beds, and thousands losing their jobs, income and businesses?

Muhyiddin isn’t a popular PM right now. There is tremendous resentment towards him, and Dr Mahathir is probably hated even more, except he doesn’t really care about public opinion because he likes to think Malaysia can’t do without him.

But let the PM finish the job. After all, Khairy is also handling the task well in getting Malaysians vaccinated. Let’s give credit where it’s due since vaccination goals are likely to be realised.

Of course, a few from Muhyiddin’s bloated Cabinet have let us down and even embarrassed us.

But let them do the job for the time being. These scheming politicians can fight all they want once we achieve herd immunity by the end of the year and instal the national recovery plan.

Please don’t get Malaysians killed by demanding Parliament be dissolved and a general election held soon. It won’t be surprising if we’re back to square one with a split result after the GE.

Without doubt, the PM has to earn his mandate from the people and be the legitimate leader in the eyes of Malaysians and the world. He must walk through the front door.

An unstable Malaysia will not draw investments because no one will put money in a country where the PM can change overnight.

For now, we need to work together, regardless of our political beliefs, and keep Malaysia safe. We’re running out of time and need to put the country back on track economically.

It’s better that we put our minds and hearts together for a greater cause than be pseudo constitutional experts.

If our politicians are too busy plotting each other’s downfall, it simply means they’re inept at their responsibilities.

Let’s send a strong message to them because they don’t care if we have food on the table or retain our jobs.

So, let’s win this fight against Covid-19 together as Malaysians and set our priorities right.

#MenangBersama