Walk the talk – downsize the jumbo Cabinet and rid the deadwoods
Today’s New Straits Times (NST) editorial ”Walking the talk” on the Malaysia Global Roadshow of the Prime Minister, Datuk Seri Abdullah Ahmad Badawi in London and New York promising a 15-year economic boom till 2020 said:
“In the picture he is painting of Malaysia, Abdullah is signalling a message of hope to the West. He is selling them on robust and purposeful growth sustained for 15 years; an aspirational and dynamic society; a moderate and tolerant polity.“Approaching the end of his second year as PM, Abdullah has polished, packaged and branded his central agenda of competent, efficient and effective national asset management, and is promoting Malaysia to the West as a paragon of sensibility in the developing world and the Islamic world…
“The importance of this ‘roadshow’ cannot be overstated, and its timing is critical. Within two years of taking office, the Abdullah administration is walking its talk to the world this week.”
Is the picture of the nation painted in the Malaysia Global Roadshow also the one which Malaysians see and feel at home – that Pak Lah is walking the talk to fulfill his pledge to usher in reforms and lead a clean, incorruptible, open, just, tolerant, accountable, trustworthy and efficient government?
If so, then the 42-year-old teacher, Chan Boon Heng, 42, would not have fallen to his death as a result of the termite-infested floor of the two-storey SJK © Keat Hwa, Alor Star giving way – a direct consequence of unfair government policies towards national-type primary schools.
If so, then a call for a more balanced view of the nation’s history, with instant clarification to deny any belittling of Tunku Abdul Rahman as Bapa Merdeka or glorification of Chin Peng and the Communist Party of Malaya would not have been exploited to whip up communal sentiments or to defame and malign Opposition leaders as “communists”.
If so, then Pak Lah will not be a lone voice in UMNO, Cabinet and government about national integrity, with no one daring to call for a new political culture of zero-tolerance for corruption.
In May, NST had described Abdullah’s speech to the Harvard Club defending his 18-month premiership as “arguably one of his most important speeches since becoming Prime Minister in November 2003”.
However, Pak Lah’s Harvard Club speech failed to capture the imagination of the people unlike his earlier speeches, in particular his speech as Acting Prime Minister to the Oxbridge Society in March 2003 on “the Malaysian malaise” of having “First World infrastructure and Third World mentality”, condemning the Ugly Malaysian and his call to Malaysians to fight corruption and abuse of trust, and his calls in his early days as Prime Minister to “work with me, not work for me” and to government leaders to listen to the truth from the people.
In his speech at the Harvard Club, Pak Lah declared: “I am not only a man of intentions, I am also a man of deeds.” Malaysians unreservedly accept the first half of his declaration, but more and more despair that he is capable of delivering the second half of his statement.
The nation-wide “feel good” euphoria responsible for the unprecedented Barisan Nasional victory in the March 2004 general election has evaporated.
Can Pak Lah stamp his personality and commitments on the present political system or will he end up as a prisoner of the system.
If Pak Lah is really to walk the talk, he should start by revamping and downsizing his jumbo Cabinet, getting rid of the Ministerial deadwoods as a prelude to clear the deadwoods in the public services, universities, government-linked companies, etc clogging up the national bloodstream of excellence and international competitiveness.
“In the picture he is painting of Malaysia, Abdullah is signalling a message of hope to the West. He is selling them on robust and purposeful growth sustained for 15 years; an aspirational and dynamic society; a moderate and tolerant polity.“Approaching the end of his second year as PM, Abdullah has polished, packaged and branded his central agenda of competent, efficient and effective national asset management, and is promoting Malaysia to the West as a paragon of sensibility in the developing world and the Islamic world…
“The importance of this ‘roadshow’ cannot be overstated, and its timing is critical. Within two years of taking office, the Abdullah administration is walking its talk to the world this week.”
Is the picture of the nation painted in the Malaysia Global Roadshow also the one which Malaysians see and feel at home – that Pak Lah is walking the talk to fulfill his pledge to usher in reforms and lead a clean, incorruptible, open, just, tolerant, accountable, trustworthy and efficient government?
If so, then the 42-year-old teacher, Chan Boon Heng, 42, would not have fallen to his death as a result of the termite-infested floor of the two-storey SJK © Keat Hwa, Alor Star giving way – a direct consequence of unfair government policies towards national-type primary schools.
If so, then a call for a more balanced view of the nation’s history, with instant clarification to deny any belittling of Tunku Abdul Rahman as Bapa Merdeka or glorification of Chin Peng and the Communist Party of Malaya would not have been exploited to whip up communal sentiments or to defame and malign Opposition leaders as “communists”.
If so, then Pak Lah will not be a lone voice in UMNO, Cabinet and government about national integrity, with no one daring to call for a new political culture of zero-tolerance for corruption.
In May, NST had described Abdullah’s speech to the Harvard Club defending his 18-month premiership as “arguably one of his most important speeches since becoming Prime Minister in November 2003”.
However, Pak Lah’s Harvard Club speech failed to capture the imagination of the people unlike his earlier speeches, in particular his speech as Acting Prime Minister to the Oxbridge Society in March 2003 on “the Malaysian malaise” of having “First World infrastructure and Third World mentality”, condemning the Ugly Malaysian and his call to Malaysians to fight corruption and abuse of trust, and his calls in his early days as Prime Minister to “work with me, not work for me” and to government leaders to listen to the truth from the people.
In his speech at the Harvard Club, Pak Lah declared: “I am not only a man of intentions, I am also a man of deeds.” Malaysians unreservedly accept the first half of his declaration, but more and more despair that he is capable of delivering the second half of his statement.
The nation-wide “feel good” euphoria responsible for the unprecedented Barisan Nasional victory in the March 2004 general election has evaporated.
Can Pak Lah stamp his personality and commitments on the present political system or will he end up as a prisoner of the system.
If Pak Lah is really to walk the talk, he should start by revamping and downsizing his jumbo Cabinet, getting rid of the Ministerial deadwoods as a prelude to clear the deadwoods in the public services, universities, government-linked companies, etc clogging up the national bloodstream of excellence and international competitiveness.
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