Last weekend’s massive flooding in the Klang Valley and the East Coast exposed weaknesses and inefficiencies in the current administration’s ability to respond to such a calamity.
Prime Minister Datuk Seri Ismail Sabri Yaakob’s uncertain response in marshalling available assets to deal with the catastrophe, and the conspicuous absence of his ministers on the ground, added to the havoc and misery faced by the victims.
The absence of a coordinated response – only ad hoc initiatives – showed a lack of centralised control and management of the disaster.
This is a reflection of a reactive government that does not have the critical faculties to deal with the unexpected.
In the eyes of many, the whole Cabinet had failed miserably.
Which was why Ismail Sabri’s announcement that his Cabinet ministers had passed their 100-day trial period with an ‘A+’ rating, was met with derision and disbelief.
In reality, these ministers have not done anything exceptional to warrant such a ridiculously high rating. Even their normal performance leaves much to be desired.
To earn such a high rating, the ministers would have to provide innovative and creative leadership, transforming their ministries into vibrant entities that positively impact the people.
However, nothing exceptional had happened in the Cabinet’s first 100 days, except for the usual politicking, horse-trading, and the shifting of alliances in Sabah and Sarawak. That, and offering redundant positions in exchange for support.
An example of this was the appointment of Datuk Seri Jamil Khir Baharom as special religious advisor to the prime minister. Never mind that there is already a minister in the Prime Minister’s Department who oversees religious affairs.
To be fair, the Health Ministry is doing its utmost to contain the Covid-19
pandemic. However, the proposed enforcement modus operandi is draconian, with unrealistic hefty fines.
The ‘A+’ rating for the ministers does not commensurate with the actual work done in addressing the needs of the people.
For example, the spiralling costs of basic necessities testify to the government’s ineptness in addressing and solving the people’s problems.
The best they could do was to blame it on climate change, the laws of supply and demand, and the pandemic.
Granted, these factors do impact costs, to a certain extent. However, it must be noted that the government does not have an effective mechanism to ensure a continuous, and uninterrupted supply of reasonably-priced goods, especially in times of adversity.
This is because of our ‘reactive’, rather than ‘proactive’ mechanisms of governance, which is beset by hindsight, rather than foresight.
The prime minister also aggressively promoted his concept of ‘Keluarga Malaysia’ (Malaysian Family), to foster unity and to ensure the social, and economic well-being of the people.
However, the construct of the Malaysian Family is nothing new, because elements were already being pursued by the various ministries, agencies, and non-governmental organisations.
It is just another slogan to advance a political agenda, just like 1Malaysia, Islam Hadari, Malaysia Boleh, or Bersih, Cekap dan Amanah.
Every prime minister wants to leave behind a legacy.
Ideally, it should be along the lines of Tun Abdul Razak Hussein’s rural development initiatives, Tun Dr Mahathir Mohamad’s industrialisation and corporatisation programmes, and of course, Tunku Abdul Rahman Putra Al-Haj’s sterling contribution towards our independence.
Unfortunately, we also have other unflattering legacies, like the 1Malaysia Development Bhd (1MDB) saga and the Sheraton Move.
The 90 per cent, ‘A+’ rating for Ismail Sabri’s administration falls flat when confronted with actual crises that test their abilities.
Malaysia will continue to slide towards economic and social morass and may end up at the bottom of the Association of Southeast Asian Nations (Asean) grouping because of its lack of direction, brought on by incompetence in governance.
The country needs intelligent, proactive, and forward-thinking leaders to extricate itself from this quagmire of ineptitude and to give it a new direction.
Perhaps the emergence of several new political parties or entities, with a passion to truly serve the people, transcending race, and religion, could replace the stale and archaic political status quo that thrives on feudalistic servitude.
This is the personal opinion of the writer and does not necessarily represent the views of Twentytwo13.
