Give Anwar benefit of the doubt, says Jayum
KUCHING: The new Unity Cabinet unveiled by Prime Minister Datuk Seri Anwar Ibrahim is seen as an encouraging sign of leadership renewal but one that could have been better, said political scientist Prof Datuk Dr Jayum Jawan.
He said although the people may see the appointment of Datuk Seri Ahmad Zahid Hamidi as Deputy Prime Minister as controversial on account of criminal cases pending investigation, he believed people should give the Prime Minister the benefit of the doubt.
“As he (Anwar) assembles his first cabinet, any important changes can come later,” said the academician from Universiti Putra Malaysia (UPM) and fellow Academy of Sciences Malaysia.
“A number of new names from Parti Keadilan Rakyat (PKR) and Democratic Action Party (DAP) form the bigger share of the cabinet line-up,” he noted.
This, Jayum said, should be well-received as it is good for leadership renewal and in moving Malaysia forward.
Nevertheless, he believed that Ahmad Zahid, who is Barisan Nasional chairman and Umno president, should have given way to others from his party or coalition, and instead focus on clearing his name before accepting any post in the Cabinet.
“It is true that one is innocent until proven guilty, but it is also equally important for the leadership of the country to be filled by people who are not controversial so as to give the country an opportunity to reset and move forward,” he added.
On the appointment of Parti Rakyat Sarawak’s (PRS) Kanowit MP Datuk Aaron Ago Dagang as Minister of National Unity, Jayum viewed it as part of the sharing of the spoils among Gabungan Parti Sarawak (GPS).
He said PRS should have been represented by its party president Datuk Joseph Salang Gandum who unfortunately failed to win Julau in the recently concluded 15th General Election.
“Otherwise, it could have been him (Salang). But he could have been given a senatorship to make him eligible for the cabinet appointment. Now that he is not, his days as PRS president would be numbered.”
Jayum also viewed Progressive Democratic Party (PDP) president Dato Sri Tiong King Sing’s appointment as Tourism Minister as perhaps “the most unique appointment of all”.
“He is now one man playing three major roles in the country. First, he is member of the Sarawak State Assembly having been elected in 2021.
“Secondly, he is an MP who won Bintulu in the GE15, and now, he is a federal minister.
“Something is clearly not right as having an individual receiving three salaries, and performing three critical jobs at the same time.
“One would wonder when he has time to sleep and eat as well as to attend to his family matters, and his other interests.” On the bright side, Jayum said he sees it as a good start for Sarawak to have five MPs in the federal cabinet.
However, he said the number can be a misnomer as the five are not only federal ministers for Sarawak but for the whole of Malaysia.
“As MPs, they represent their individual constituency, but when one enters the federal cabinet, he or she is the minister for the whole nation,” he asserted.