Leaders not up to mark should quit, says Kadir

KLANG: Leaders incapable of fulfilling their responsibilities should just quit, said Datuk A. Kadir Jasin.

This included ministers, mentris besar, chief ministers and state executive councillors who are not up to mark, even a year after assuming their positions, he said.

Kadir, who wrote this in his blog The Scribe, said:

“If there are those who are still crawling and feeling around, a year after being given the opportunity and responsibility, then it is our responsibility to ask them to reconsider their positions, and if needed, to voluntarily leave so that others can replace them.”

A year was long enough to learn the ropes on how to do their job, said Kadir, who is the Prime Minister’s special media adviser.

He made it clear that he could only offer his views and hope for the best as the right to do the necessary was the Prime Minister’s.

“He (Tun Dr Mahathir Mohamad) certainly is more aware as he himself gave his Cabinet a mark of only 50%,” said Kadir.

(When asked in an interview recently on how he would grade his Cabinet, Dr Mahathir said he gave it “five out of 10”.)

Kadir also noted that, from his understanding, Dr Mahathir’s marks were based on an average grading.

“There are those below 50 (points) and there are those above 50. Those below 50 can be targeted to be replaced,” he said.

Kadir said the people, especially those who voted for Pakatan Harapan, had the right to assess those whom, in their views, had succeeded or failed to meet their aspirations.

He also said that those holding key positions in the civil service, statutory bodies and government-linked companies must ship out if their work was below par or if they were loyalists to the previous Barisan Nasional government.

Some of those who were appointed by the Barisan government were still in their positions and continued to adhere to the old ways of doing things, he claimed.

“They are directly and indirectly sabotaging the PH government in order to keep their positions,” said Kadir.

“In principle, the public service must be neutral and loyal to the government of the day,” he said.

The veteran journalist also said that the time had come for the Public Service Department and the Public Service Commission to remove the “virus” loyal to the previous administration in order for the executive and administrative branches of the government to collectively serve the people.