First, it was Qatar. Then it was corrected to Abu Dhabi.
But the fact that Datuk Seri Tengku Zafrul Abdul Aziz was conspicuously missing from the first Cabinet meeting chaired by Malaysia’s newly minted Prime Minister Datuk Seri Anwar Ibrahim yesterday, got tongues wagging.
The drama spread like wildfire and the rumour mill worked overtime, at a time when Tengku Zafrul’s appointment as a minister – despite having lost in Malaysia’s 15th General Election and not holding a significant post in a political party – continues to dominate conversations.
It was a statement issued by Istana Negara at 10am today that put things in perspective.
The statement said that the Yang di-Pertuan Agong was in Abu Dhabi to witness the signing ceremony between Petronas Abu Dhabi Sdn Bhd and Abu Dhabi National Oil Company (Adnoc) yesterday.
“Also present were International Trade and Industry Minister Datuk Seri Tengku Zafrul Abdul Aziz, Petronas president and group chief executive Datuk Tengku Muhammad Taufik, and key leaders from Petronas and Adnoc,” the statement read.
It was only 18 minutes later that Tengku Zafrul made public his Abu Dhabi trip via a Facebook posting.
No, he was not in Qatar to watch the World Cup as some had earlier assumed. He was in another country altogether, some 500km away from the football epicentre, to witness a “historic agreement” – as described by Petronas in its statement.
It was an agreement to explore and appraise Unconventional Onshore Block 1, covering a 2,000 sq km concession, in the Al Dhafra region.
And as at publication time, the International Trade and Industry Ministry (MITI) has yet to say anything about Tengku Zafrul’s Abu Dhabi trip, raising questions if MITI was being kept in the loop.
It would not have been an issue had Tengku Zafrul informed – prior to leaving for Abu Dhabi – that he would not be attending the first Cabinet meeting. It is a given that Anwar’s first Cabinet meeting would surely come under overwhelming attention.
After all, Tengku Zafrul clocked in to work on Saturday, and with the press documenting the moment, he could have mentioned his Abu Dhabi trip to them. Then, there would have been no drama.
Anwar’s Cabinet continues to come under scrutiny as he is flanked by a deputy who faces a multitude of corruption charges, and has several ministers who were roundly beaten in GE15.
In fact, the onus is on Anwar to justify to his supporters, and Malaysians at large, why these individuals were made ministers.
Perception is important, and Anwar and his team must provide the right optics to justify their presence in Putrajaya.
It’s best that ministers, and their ministries, inform in advance and take charge of the narrative, instead of merely reacting when things blow up.
And it surely isn’t Istana Negara’s role to bail any party out.
(Image from Istana Negara)