By Ranjit Singh
THE ruling Perikatan Nasional’s (PN) decision to end the tenure of the heads of a few government agencies who were appointed by the Pakatan Harapan (PH) government is needless and disruptive, especially in the current challenging times.
If a change is made to the previous appointments, then it should be because the person was not performing well in the role he was assigned to. If he or she was doing well, there is no reason to replace the person.
Politicking and putting people in key positions in return for favours and support previously given will only give rise again to patronage politics and all that it costs in terms of loss in efficiency, incompetence and corruption, the reason that the previous government was kicked out.
The new government that came into power through dubious means does not seem to have realised that and continues to make the same mistakes that led to the fall of the Najib regime. This is rather short-sighted.
Take for instance, reports that a few senior politicians were in the list to come back to head GLCs and they include Umno heavyweights. They are Arau MP Datuk Seri Shahidan Kassim for Felda and either Besut MP Datuk Seri Idris Jusoh or Machang MP Datuk Ahmad Jazlan Yaakub for Majlis Amanah Rakyat (Mara).
Another example is the removal of Tan Sri Bakke Salleh as chairman of the Malaysian Palm Oil Board (MPOB). Bakke, an experienced corporate figure, was appointed as chairman on July 31, 2018, for a two-year term but the newly-minted PN government has ended his tenure.
He was the former deputy executive chairman and managing director of Sime Darby Plantation Bhd and would have very intimate knowledge of the oil palm industry and be on familiar terms with many in the industry. Also, he was widely regarded as a person of integrity, stepping down from the board of 1MDB when he found that the board’s instructions were not being followed by management.
The PN government has been criticised for forming a Cabinet of 70 members as opposed to 55 in the previous PH government. Apart from budgetary issues, there has also been talk of some duplication of duties under the new Cabinet which does not augur well, especially when the country is in a tight financial position made worse by the Covid-19 outbreak.
The new government which was formed by former members of Bersatu, a splinter group of Parti Keadilan Rakyat (PKR), Umno and Islamist party PAS, with support from Sarawak’s GPS, is trying to give government positions to party leaders who could not make it to the Cabinet, a clear move back to the dark ages of untramelled patronage.
Another casualty of the PN’s purge is Datuk Nungsari Ahmad Radhi, the chairman of Khazanah Research Institute who apparently lost his position after being critical of the government of the day.
Chairman of Bank Rakyat Bhd, Datuk Noripah Kamso, was removed on April 3 when her contract expires only in December. There was no reason for the abrupt ending of Noripah’s contract for under her watch, the bank had posted stellar results.
FocusM reported earlier that Socso chairman Zakri Khir had tendered his resignation and will be replaced by Sabak Bernam MP Datuk Mohd Fasiah Mohd Fakeh of Bersatu.
The removal of these stalwarts makes consensus building between the government and opposition more arduous. The nation is in crisis and this is definitely not the time to play politics with positions which are critical to the government machinery.
Other prominent appointees of the previous government who were removed by the PN administration include Datuk Noor Farida Ariffin, chairman of the Human Resource Development Fund (HRDF) and Mara chairman Datuk Hasnita Hashim.
Even if the government wants to remove all those appointed under the previous administration, it could have waited for a better time. We need the best at this critical juncture when we are battling the Covid-19 pandemic which has infected more than 3,600 people and claimed 62 lives to date and caused unprecedented economic loss.
Given that the new appointees will take time to settle into their new positions, that is a luxury that we do not have in this crisis. Wouldn’t it be better to let tried and tested hands man the ship during these tough times?
The new government should immediately halt the removal of all appointments made during the previous administration and focus on the serious business of running the country during a time when the worst pandemic in memory is playing havoc with our lives and our economy.
Playing to the gallery and political expediency should take a backseat. The nation’s well-being should be the number one priority. — April 7, 2020
