John Fitzgerald Kennedy once spoke something like this – “When written in Chinese, the word ‘crisis’ is composed of two characters; one represents danger, and the other represents opportunity. In a crisis, be aware of the danger, but recognize the opportunity.”
Wei Ji = Crisis
Rather crudely, the famous Baron von Rothschild was also quoted as saying – “When there’s blood on the streets, buy property!” And bought them he did. Eventually, he became the wealthiest financier in the expansion of the British Empire in the early 19th century. Just because he recognised the opportunities that can be gained from emerging crises.
On that note, it is believed that an able leader can overcome any crisis without much dent on his dignity, resources and vision. However, if he could emerge from a crisis even stronger than he ever was before, he is indeed has the makings to become a truly remarkable leader.
Nevertheless, since the Chinese and wealthy Barons of Europe had long recognised the fact that from any crisis, comes the possibility of an opportunity, the current economic and political crisis will serve as a good barometer to test the leadership skills of the Prime Minister elect.
It is important for Datuk Najib to quickly get his house in order. To expand on Hantu Laut’s article here;
Najib has four years, if he doesn’t lose the government by cross-over, to set things right in UMNO.When he becomes PM the first thing he should do is to sack half of the present cabinet ministers and replace with new and untainted faces.He must also be prepared to take unpopular actions and spare no effort to bring corruptions under control and distribute government projects not only to party members but equitable distribution to other deserving and capable contractors.
Datuk Najib must take to his heart the quote by Harry S Truman below;
“Within the first few months I discovered that being a president is like riding a tiger. A man has to keep riding or be swallowed”.
And getting swallowed he will be should he choose to ignore the many warnings and advise from the ground. To ride a tiger, one needs to be bold. Bold enough to make important decisions.
I agree with Datuk Sakmongkol’s assertions that first and foremost, Umno must have a dignified leadership. More than that, Datuk Najib must show that he is serious in steering the floundering Malaysia back to charted waters.
He must be seen as willing to make sacrifices for the sake of Malaysia. He must get the best people in the current limited talent pool that he has. He must take a leaf from President Abraham Lincoln’s actions more than 150 years ago.
From the book of Doris Kearn Goodwin – Team of Rivals, President Lincoln basically pulled in all the people who had been running against him into his Cabinet because after putting personal feelings aside, the more pertinent issue was, ‘How can we get this country through this time of crisis?'”
Lincoln then appointed four of his rivals to his cabinet. Each one of them became the secretary of war, the secretary of treasury and an attorney general respectively. One even became the secretary of state.
This act is closely imitated by the current President Obama in electing Hillary Clinton as the powerful State Secretary.
The main gist is, getting the best available people to manage these crises. And what is the point I am driving at? The point is this:
1) Appoint Tengku Razaleigh as the Finance Minister.
By appointing his greatest rival to the most coveted position any ambitious Umno leader would kill to get, he will show 2 things. One, he is strong and bold enough to stave off potential backlash from his own faction. Two, he shows some element of dignified politics whereby his personal interest is never above the interest of the nation.
We have seen through his blog that Tengku Razaleigh had indeed been talking and writing with the calibre of a Finance Minister. He WAS a Finance Minister from 1976 to 1984.
Hence, from a crisis, Datuk Najib may find yet an opportunity to harness the experience and the knowledge of Tengku Razaleigh in the area of economics. It would even be more magnanimous of him if he cancels the post of Finance Minister I and give Tengku Razaleigh the total control in sorting out our financial and economic woes.
I have always believed that the PM should never hold the post of Finance Minister. Having two Finance Ministers shows lack of trust and above all, exposing the Prime Minister unnecessarily to an artillery of criticisms. The post of Finance Minister is a delicate post. One smart move will ensure strong vote of confidence from the people. One ill advised move or a contentious project made under the watch of the Finance Minister will render him hapless in the face of public scrutiny. Datuk Najib do not need this kind of attention as the Prime Minister. Repeating the mistakes of Pak Lah will be the death of Umno under Najib.
Will there be any negative impact from the appointment of Tengku Razaleigh as the Finance Minister? There are quite a few actually. Difficult decisions will often be preceded and followed by some dilemma. One, the matter of ego.
Datuk Najib could never accept anyone who at one time, was only the protege of his father. While Tengku Razaleigh could never accept anything less than the post of Prime Minister itself. Clashes of ego will emerge.
Two, potential bitterness from Najib’s faction and further bickerings between the people of both factions.
But between those two points above, would there be anything that could give an adverse impact to the nation itself, should these two personal issues were put aside? I believe no. Therefore, Datuk Najib and Tengku Razaleigh must exercise strong leadership and must show fine examples to their followers. Massive egoes and selfish, personal endeavours must be shed and be replaced with undying spirit of teamwork in getting this country out of its current quagmire.
Afterall, by end of March 2009, Umno members must be united under the leadership of ONE MAN. And that man is Datuk Najib.
More than that, Tengku Razaleigh must believe that the post of Finance Minister IS the greatest compliment anyone can be bestowed upon in this particular circumstance. In any other circumstances, Tengku Razalaigh could not even dream of being in the cabinet, let alone a full minister.
Tengku Razaleigh also has his fans among the general public. Regardless the political affiliation. Safe to say, the opposition is also quite friendly towards Tengku Razaleigh. Before divulging too much on the potential ramifications of this highly presumptive article, I shall conclude this point by saying that Datuk Najib , Umno members and Malaysians in general can achieve two things through this appointment:
The politics of dignity and getting the appropriate people for the difficult job ahead.
Nevertheless, I wonder what will the market reaction be should Tengku Razaleigh be appointed as the Finance Minister in April 2009.
2) Throw out the deadwoods or underperforming ministers.
The idea is to bring back COMPETENCE in the cabinet. It would be an achievement in itself should Tengku Razaleigh agrees to become the Finance Minister. For far too long Malaysians had made to suffer under the incompetent Pak Lah.
Pak Lah could be best remembered as the Finance Minister, upon being sieged with sudden increase of world oil prices, increased our petrol price up to 40%!
It was only one branch of an economic crisis and what all the Oxford geniuses could only advised him was to increase the fuel prices unexponentially. And what was the long term effect out of this? The out of control inflation. Until today, the prices of our day to day goods have yet to come down to pre June 2008 levels.
If young geniuses and a clueless PM could not manage even a commodity crisis, we need better suited people to be in charge of far worse crises (political, world and economic) ahead.
I know I may receive a lot of flak in this. But I’d say extreme times require strong characters. Bring back Rafidah Aziz to head the International Trade and Industry. She is still an MP. Why pay RM34,ooo a month to Shahrizat Jalil in a highly redundant position of Advisor to Women and Social Development Affairs but the more economically able Rafidah Aziz is sidelined from contributing to the nation?
Bear in mind that both Tengku Razaleigh and Rafidah Aziz had faced many great economic crises while holding a financial or economic related portfolios as Minister. Thus, experience and wisdom are keys to ensure success.
In other aspects, Rafidah Aziz has her fair share of accusations in practising corruption. Tales of her being the AP Queen were not uncommon.
But there are also stories of her iron will and winner takes all attitude in trade negotiations. During her time, Malaysia was proud to have her as the person that helped drove Malaysia to become one of the industrialised nations in Asia. She complemented the outspoken Dr Mahathir with her feisty attitude.
But could Malaysians see her positive contribution despite her alleged bad reputation? Perhaps her track records should speak for itself. Was she not competent? Were the Malaysian industrialists or the manufacturers unhappy with her? I am sure that should Rafidah be brought back to the position she is familiar with, the market will have some renewed confidence.
Competence and efficiency should be the main motto for Datuk Najib’s new cabinet. Likewise, all the deadwoods, the weak links and the incompetent ministers must be given the boot.
One such example is Datuk Sri Sulaiman Abdul Rahman Taib. Just by reading the parliamentary hansard and watching his performance in parliament will show us how inadequate he is in answering questions. And he is the deputy minister in tourism! The quality of our ministers had never been in deeper rut than this.
Which brings me to this next point-
In the movie The Patriot, General Cornwallis was chastising an army colonel named Tavington. According to the general, Tavington’s conduct in the war was cruel and barbaric. The colonel was giving the British Army a bad image in the process. The furious general snarled at Tavington –
“You serve me and the manner in which you serve me reflects upon me!”
Hence, through that viewpoint, Datuk Najib must aware that the antics of his cabinet ministers and the people he appointed will severely tarnish his reputation as well. Datuk Najib will be accountable for their actions. Again, repeating the mistakes of Pak Lah will be disastrous to everyone.
Datuk Najib must by now, had fully identified the weak links in this current set up. Identify the lazy ones. Identify the underperformers. Identify the ones that caused much unnecessary damage to the government.
Riding the tiger is never easy. Datuk Najib needs help in every way. Therefore, he should bring back the post of parliamentary secretary. At least in the highly important portfolios.
There is no point in having huge cabinet but some of those ministries failed to answer questions during parliamentary sitting due to their absent reps. The existence of parliamentary secretaries can quickly dispel any incompetencies in providing answers to questions. Furthermore, that post is a good training ground for future leaders. Not too high up, but have enough clout to be taken seriously.
All these appointments should not confine itself only to cabinet positions. Corporate appointments should be reviewed as well. When we have big bosses of national corporations such as Khazanah Nasional and Tenaga Nasional Berhad not wanting to take responsibilities to the massive losses they incurred, we truly had descended towards national apathy and decadence.
Both of them had casually explained the losses due to external factors. Bad leaders are the ones who could not foresee the inherent risks in each of their corporate decisions. They are neglecting in their duties if they could not manage all the calculated risks they took. These corporate figures must be given the axe.
3) Understanding what went wrong.
Sometimes it is quite amusing when the Umno leaders are trying to shift the blame to other people everytime they are facing a problem.
Take for instance, the BN lost in KT by election two weeks ago. Listen to all the blaming game and the misguided analyses. But yet, no one came out with a detailed report of what went wrong.
Why?
Because there were no real post mortem being made. Post mortem this, post mortem that. We heard this word since March 2008 and yet no viable report were presented to all Umno and BN members.
What was the top ten reasons for the lost of 2/3rd majority in parliament? Nobody really knows because there were no empirical studies done by BN leaders itself.
In the KT by election, some blamed the choice of candidate, some blamed Pak Lah’s reputation, some blamed Najib’s. But what was the truth? Nobody can answer because right after the election results, no Umno or BN members stayed in KT to do a survey on WHAT WENT WRONG.
Nobody posed questionnaires to the people with questions like;
1) What do you think the cause of Umno’s lost there?
2) Why do you think PAS won?
3) Do you think people did not vote Wan Farid because of;
a) Najib / Altantuya / Rosmah
b) Pak Lah / Patrick Badawi / Khairy Jamaluddin
c) He is arrogant
d) Other reasons
4) Do you think people vote Abdul Wahid Endut because of;
a) He is capable
b) Lim Kit Siang makes sense
c) We want Hudud
d) Other reasons
Surely with these questionnaires everytime there’s by election, Umno and BN can better gauge their performance and make necessary steps to improve themselves in the future.
But from observation, right after election day, all the Umno election machinery offices had closed. Presumably, there is nothing more to do there because the continued act of kissing arse must be done back in Kuala Lumpur where the Umno big guns are.
It was a missed opportunity for Umno should these types of study was not done at this hot site. Especially the day after the elections where people are more in tuned and more inclined to answer using current political emotions.
If we cannot understand on what we did wrong, then how can we learn from this particular lesson? Read the quote below:
In life there are no mistakes, only lessons, but if we do not learn from the lessons then it is a mistake” – Anonymous
Memorise it.
Umno and BN kept on repeating the same mistake precisely because they are unable to really gauge the sentiment of the people. And how to learn and improve from thereon.
They must know how to ask the right question and analyse the answers obtained.
Anyway, all that I write above are pretty obvious and it would be a forgone conclusion if Datuk Najib and his advisers could not consider these options.
I read with interest Dr Bakri Musa’s recent article. He wrote that Datuk Najib must also address the question of his ability, integrity and legitimacy, in order to stamp his leadership forward. I concur with that too.
As most people have said, any person succeeding Pak Lah may not do any worse. I have to disagree with that statement. Without the proper reflection and a healthy ego, Datuk Najib can well be the worst Prime Minister next to Pak Lah.
I leave you with this quote again:
In a crisis, be aware of the danger, but recognize the opportunity.
_________________________________________
Update : Syed Akbar Ali published relevant articles pertaining Umno’s myopia:
A blogger named Hidup Tuah pointed out another relevant issue – The ability of EPU and MOF in handling Budget 2010 and the problems that will arise should necessary steps are not taken to mitigate the early warning signals. It seems to this blogger, the EPU and MOF had not done their duties diligently. Our next budget will be another opportunity that Datuk Najib can look into in order to re-energise the Malaysian economy. Please click on the links below:
jebatmustdie 
ABW
This is an excellent piece. There is so much wisdom contained in it. Your suggestions are sound. I hope your views are taken up wholesale.
JMD : Thank you de minimis for dropping by. Your views on economic issues are very potent as well..
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But will they? Will they do what Badawi pledged to do but failed to do?
When a man like Ku-Li fails to get substantial nominations, while his less than savory counterparts do… it speaks tons about the party and the folks within.
Sad, ain’t it?
JMD : Maybe they will, maybe they won’t. But one thing for certain, the opposition will pee in their pants should Najib actually listen to the ground and do the necessary actions to alleviate Malaysia out of the economic crisis.
Their hypocritical call for Pak Lah to continue on as PM is a distinct paralysis on the part opposition to think of new ways to prop up the economy.
To them, the nation’s wellbeing is secondary. They just want power. It is better for Pak Lah to continue as the PM so that in the next general election, the current government will fall.
Thank you.
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JMD there was not ONE but many “ill advised”/”contentious project” no need to list..this one deserves a blogpost by itself and there’s already a whole collection on them littering on cyberspace 😉
My only concern on Ku Li is his age factor…we need fresh blood with vision, and on whether he would grab the olive branch….
I’m also more keen if they take out Deputy Ministers as well and do not bring back the Parliamentary Secretaries…..let this job be undertaken by the respective Director Generals and Heads of All our Govt agencies.
Let Ministers focus on Policy and The Govt Servants focus on execution. Make it more streamlined and this will also reduce the “political” aspects of day to day operations, too much co-mingling over the years …..let the politician focus on serving their respective constituents and become data collection agent for Central Policy Making Activities.
If they are really serious, MOF should provide additional budget to these politicians (all parties) for them to have research assistants to help with structuring specific request for policy support from Central or to undertake on the ground analysis
On number 3….I think takut to know…..you know who la….kekeke….did they all actually went to Oxford…… ke just carry around an Oxford Dictionary on a bicycle tour in Britain… 🙂
JMD : Thank you for the comment. Age factor could be important. However I believe, health factor is more important. If Ku Li is still healthy, then why not. He may turn down the offer (if there is one) but he still can contribute to the nation through his participation in an advisory role. Being a Finance Minister is a strenuous job. But if Alan Greespan can still be effective as the Federal Reserve chairman at an age much older than Ku Li, then I see no problem if age is the factor. Thank you for the views.
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Are any of them ever think? If they do, thinking of what? Seem to me they’re only fond of talking…talking and talks. To sums it all, to me- they never really care what happens to UMNO/BN JMD.
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Brilliant, brilliant post JMD.
I agree with everything you just said. Najib will certainly inherit a headache come March this Year (similar to that of Obama? You be the judge). The challenges he will be facing is a herculean task, for which requires perseverance and a bulldog tenacity. May I also add another necessary attribute-the “testicular fortitude” (thanks to Deminegra for this phrase) needed to bring about change. I’m quite pessimistic whether Najib can deliver, especially when he displays a lack of leadership. It also remains to be seen whether or not he can rise above his tainted image. The meer mention of his name will bring about pictures of Altantuya. Guilty or not, popular opinion says he is somehow involve in the conspiracy.
Some things I would like to add-The IPCMC has to be passed, forcefuly if need be. He still has some work to be done on the Judiciary, because the JAC is not alltogether convincing. Corruption is a serious issue that has to be delt with and it has to be delt as soon as he assumes power. UMNO, what can you say about UMNO? It has to be revamp from top to bottom. I hope he reconsiders Tenku Din’s suggestion to abolish the youth wings. If he is ever likely to get rid of the “moneyocracy” culture in UMNO, the next task should be to attract the best minds into the party. And when we say the best minds, we dont just mean Oxbridge graduates, but Malay proffessionals who understand the needs and wants of the ordinary Malays, who are willing to voice out bread and butter issues face by the Malay majority. If DAP can get Tony Pua, why cant UMNO? Dont loose out to PKR and PAS in getting fresh faces into the party. Forget the wow factor, Najib needs to bring sexy back into UMNO. Most importantly, I hope Najib is willing to work across bi partisan lines. The next Prime Minister need to understand that country comes first before party.
Regardless of what I’ve said above, I know this may sound radical but isnt it about time we seriously thought about merging all the BN component parties into one? Wasn’t it Lim Keng Yiak who suggested this? Well I say, we should give it a second thought. A multi-racial party seems to be the in thing nowadays, especially when it attracts younger voters who make up the majority of the country. By merging all the parties into one we will not only enhance partnership, but look at various issues as one. Poverty for example, isnt just a Malay issue or an Indian issue, it is a national issue. Poverty needs to be eradicated irrespective of race. A BN party will also help tone down the chants of “Ketuanan Melayu”, which lets be honest, no matter how much we properly construe the term, aren’t likely to make any new friends than it is to alianate non-Malays.
JMD, what say you?
JMD : Thank you for the comment. Perhaps the opposition can lead the way in merging all their parties into one. Also, what you say about poverty needs to be eradicated irrespective of race is nothing new at all. It has been implemented all through these years.
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Ah, I read Tuan Syed’s article on UMNO only after I commented. Just finished reading up Zainah Anuar’s article “Getting it right again” in TheStar. Both seem to agree on my views, albeit similar not identical.
http://thestar.com.my/columnists/story.asp?col=sharingthenation&file=/2009/2/1/columnists/sharingthenation/3171103&sec=Sharing%20The%20Nation
A must read.
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Dear JMD,
Any decision that he makes must be in the best interest of the nation. For some who are baying for blood, no less then the scalp of Rafidah and a few other people who are seemingly above the law, will be testament of his no nonsense Premiership. In others they want the scalp of the incompetent lot currently enjoying the title of Cabinet Ministers. In others still they want the entire (to be former) first family to be brought to trial for various crimes, trumped up or not.
In this situation, we may take a leaf out of Barack Obama’s book. While many waited for him to dig, criticise and chastise the Bush’s Presidency, he did none of that but instead went on quietly to dismantle Bush’s legacy without criticising in any shape or form.
This is what Najib should do. Look at the Obama Presidency closely, put the interest of Malaysian citizens close to his heart. Listen to his enemies, perceived or otherwise, take heed of what they may have to say, manage and keep his supporters at bay cause like many before him, supporters will be his undoing.
Stay clear of making actions and decisions just to be popular with some but not others. Don’t bother pleasing the Opposition. Just listen to what they have to comment on. Short of resigning and handing over the government on a silver platter, they will never be pleased with anything that he does or will do.
Be what you are really supposed to be, a PM for Malaysians and not just Malays. Act not just to be popular but act to what is right for the country and the people. Doing that may heal some wounds and put Malaysia on the right footing again. Listen to everyone and decide for everyone and not just one particular race or religion. There are already enough affirmative actions and policies already in place. Just review to ensure a more effective, systematic and fair delivery process.
It is high time, we Malaysians can demonstrate that we too can take the high road towards maturity.
JMD : Thank you for the comment.
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God! Are you smoking Ice??
JMD : Nope. Are you? Do not be shy in giving out constructive comments, be it positive or negative. Unless you are too stoned at 3 am. Thank you.
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dear JMD,
a very thought provoking analysis which i hope DS Najib is made aware of. and hopefully this rapier sharp analysis is not stowed away by the hangers on around him fearful of their own shortcomings.
with warmest regards/sakmongkol
JMD : Thank you so much Datuk!
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Najib must dare enough to show his leadership like a HERO movie ( acting JET LI ) from UMNO election in march. What he need is a very capable deputy not a smiling assasin ,he must give a signal he want Muhyiddin as his deputy
Education going to be explosived for the next few years we cannot even decide on the teaching of math and science in english get kak Rafidah to be the minister of education after all once she was the prof from UM.
Emulate LKY in Singapore get Tun M to become the government advisor if not a senior minister
Half of the present Minister , deputy minister ,chief minister and state excos even with a smallest tarnish image must go not to mention capability and qualification from every aspect
Look back with GLC ceo and board no nepotism no alumnis we cannot accept a monopolised business like Tnb , Telekom ,etc losing business
PTD and Government servises must be re organised apart from not efficient they are also cannot converse in good english when they negotiate with other country or rep Malaysia in the international arena
Najib theme should be clean and honest government with integrity and capable leaders around him , no nonsense..
JMD : On another aspect, I see a potential red flag in the horizon. The role of Nazir Razak as the CIMB boss while his brother is the PM. There could be danger there. We do not want to emulate Pak Lah when his son, Kamaluddin, being a substantial shareholder of Scomi keeps getting all the big contracts by the government. That was one of the major public complaints which was used by the opposition back then (ironically, the call of opposition for Pak Lah to continue his stewardship means that this thorny issue is forgiven by them is it?). It is the same case when the wife of the current Singaporean Prime Minister being appointed as the boss of Temasek Holdings (an equivalent to Khazanah Nasional). But since Singapore stifles their opposition to the extreme, no big public outcry came out of it.
Proper announcements must be made to mitigate this potential problem. However, I see it is not a major one though as Nazir and CIMB became big under the stewardship of Pak Lah.
Thank you.
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Salam JMD,
Events have presented Najib with the greatest challenge a new leader could have and at the same token giving him the opportunity to go down history books as either – the Umno PM that led BN to the historic downfall or – one of the greatest Umno PM that successfully regained Umno’s glory from the brink of defeat.
A timely article for Najib. Keadaan benar2 meruncing buat Umno dan BN. No more play safe measures. Perubahan besar dan radikal yang diperlukan itu adalah lebih kepada diri Najib sendiri. Kerana dari kesedaran itulah akan muncul seorang pemimpin yang benar2 dapat memahami masalah sebenar yang dihadapi Umno sekarang. Najib sendiri perlukan satu bentuk revolusi !
Setakat ini, melalui apa yang dapat dilihat, segala tindakan perubahan yang cuba dibuat Umno walaupun nampak bersungguh2 dan serius, ia tidak lebih dari menjadi sindiran dan lawak buat rakyat . Umno masih dengan cara lama, memperbudak dan memperbodohkan rakyat dengan tindakan2 yang sekadar menutup bangkai gajah dengan daun pisang. Bau busuknya masih kuat menusuk hidung dan bangkainya masih banyak dapat dilihat.
Sebagai contoh, baru2 ini Lembaga Disiplin Umno menghukum beberapa ahli kerana politik wang. Nak menunjukkan apa ? Satu perubahan besar dan drastik ? Umno dah bersih ? Tindakan setakat melepas batuk ditangga baik tak payah, lebih membawa keaiban dari kebaikan. Seperti kata Hantu Laut, lebih dari setengah pemimpin Umno perlu di sack kalau benarlah Umno nak bersih. Kalau alasan susah nak dapat bukti bukannya satu masalah besar kerana kita ada precedent dari Tribunal Linggam dulu yang hanya menggunakan asas logik untuk menghukum.
Saya tidak berani hendak komen tentang apa yang patut Najib buat dan ubah. Ramai lagi yang mahir dalam hal ini dan Najib kalau seorang yang bodoh beliau tidak akan sampai ketahap ini. Saya juga tidak mahir dalam politik cuma sekadar memberi pendapat sebagai seorang rakyat biasa.
Selain dari postmortem yang berkesan, Najib perlu merubah sikap Umno yang masih memandang serong pada blogs. Umno masih menggangap blogs sebagai senjata musuh, tempat berkumpulnya musuh2 politiknya dan tempat penyebaran maklumat palsu. Padahal senjata yang sama dapat juga dimanafaatkan oleh Umno. Segala macam maklumat feedbacks rakyat terhadap polisi dan tindakan kerajaan, post mortem pilihanraya dan komen2 rakyat dapat di baca di blogs. Tak perlu belanja juta2 RM tubuhkan ‘pasukan banci’.
Tak perlu nak patahkan mana2 sayap, tapi tubuhkan satu lagi sayap Umno iaitu Sayap Blogger ! Diketuai oleh JMD. 🙂
JMD : Terima kasih di atas komen saudara. Saya sangat sangatlah tidak berkemampuan untuk mengetuai sesuatu pergerakan Umno. Ramai lagi yang berkebolehan jika kemampuan mereka diketengahkan 🙂
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JMD,
Syed Hamid Albar has to go too. He is an embarassment to the government and UMNO.
I am fine with Tengku Razaleigh. He can definitely do better than Najib, Amirsham. Perhaps they could enggage Azman Yahya of the DanaHarta fame.
As for Rafidah, though tainted with AP issue, like what opposition says now, innocent until proven guilty. No one can dispute her past performance as a minister.
Najib must resolve to do the right thing by appointing the right people. This is certainly not a time to reward party members with government post. By appointing the right people, it will go a long way of restoring government’s reputation as well as UMNO before the next general elections. If the cabinet reshuffle is about rewarding party members, they may end up being the ministers, deputy ministers with the shortest term in history.
If UMNO members think this way, they should be objecting any suitable appointments. As for GLCs, go for the best and pay accordingly, even if it mean hiring foreigners.
In summary, Najib must be brave to make the right decision or even he will end up as the Prime Minister with the shortest term in office, a direction that he and UMNO seems to be heading now.
Regards
http://balankumarpremakumaran.blogspot.com/
JMD : Thank you Balan.
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Aminn… what a very good article to me. Bravo Bro JMD. To me, your writing is an eye opening to DPM particulary and UMNO leaders at all level generally. I totally agreed with you with suggestions to appoint Ku Li and and the Iron Lady back to cabinet.
Apart from that, Najid should also re look at the MB and KM in all state controlled by BN. Some of the MB/KM is to much and just busy making money for themself and their cronies.
Right after the March 2008, Image of BN the ruling party is gone. The bad was compounded further with several lost in by election. BN is just a loughing stock everywhere. However, the defeat could be due to over confidence, some bad personality in the BN and corruption which tarnished almost everything. Macam pepatah Melayu, “Seekor Kerbau Membawa Lumpur, Habis Semuanya Tercalit “.
Well, it is lesson to everyone. Good lesson to people in the government and to the people of this lovely country. For the people, they are now know their rights …
Regards
PAINGAN
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Salam JMD,
Terima kasih kerana telah mengutarakan rencana saya dalam blog tuan. Diharap, pihak EPU dapat mengembleng usaha yang tepat dalam melaksanakan bajet 2010.
Salam hormat!
JMD : Terima kasih kembali.
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JMD, don’t you think that Najib should also consider TDM factor? Sidelining and trying to run down TDM was one of Pak Lah’s mistakes. In the last five years, due to the frustrations on the way he handled the socio-economic matters, the silent majority (not inclusive of anwaristas, of course) is actually wishing for a TDM-like figure. Since we don’t have one, we might as well bring back the real one to the mainstream.
Agree with you that the only way for DSN to look good is to surround himself with good people. DSN has to admit that he is not that good and he is just a prince and not a warrior. Everything was handed to him and he never really fought for it. In the eyes of ordinary rakyat like me, it took Muhyiddin and TDM to get him the PM’ship while he played it safe. Not very comforting if you should ask me. I don’t think he will do anything even if Pak Lah change his mind this March.
Agree on your Rafidah. AP aside, she knows what she wants and she gets it. (In that sense, it reminds me of Rosmah too…)
JMD : Thank you Jean.
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Good writeup JMD. It would be great if those deemed fit to lead the relevant ministries are appointed instead of the politically affiliated. Can we see a Steven Chu in the next lineup?
The best bet is it would be the same old, to do otherwise, it wouldn’t be BN anymore. They didn’t campaign tirelessly for the choice spots in their respective parties so that they can serve the people better.
A few seats to MCA, MIC and the rest of the gang. To break the mold would disrupt the equilibrium that is Malaysian politics. We wouldn’t want chaos to ensue now, would we? 😉
JMD : Thank you for the comment. It is indeed extremely hard. When I said, Datuk Najib must be bold enough to make the necessary decisions, it was not an understatement! 🙂
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Hi i’m a newcomer to your blog and i must applaud you for your articles. I enjoy reading them but i have not been able to finish reading them yet as of today.
I would like to highlight something of no relevance to this entry though, about Bangsa Malaysia. I’m a product of the Sekolah Kebangsaan and i believe in racial integration or at least a single system of education in Malaysia. But clearly, the current scenario do not permit. Sometimes it’s not that the non-Malays (maybe some of them but i’m not one of them) refuse to give up their vernacular schools but there are just to many outstanding issues that must be ironed out first.
I’m sure you have read Syed Akbar Ali’s take on this issue.
http://syedsoutsidethebox.blogspot.com/2008/12/mukhrizs-point-about-vernacular.html
He hit the nail on the head with an understanding of the current scenario.
Thanks again for this brilliant website.
JMD : Thank you for the comment. I enjoy Syed Akbar Ali’s blog too.
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Great read .
Just out of curiosity , why name only one incapable deputy minister ? With your vast source , can you post more review of all incapable ministers/deputy ministers that should be uprooted from the coming cabinet ? Of course with reason why they should not be there . No one really posted their KPI in a professional manner .
Owning the responsibility among the CEO’s in GLC do not seems to be a fashion here . I do agree that some of them gave a rather mild expression presenting their losses to the media . No explanation given to tackle ad hoc and long term plan strategies to counter coming bleak future ahead.
Coming from private sector , I am rallying my staffs to ensure we double our efforts to brave through tough times ahead and explaining to them once drastic measures as pay cut take place , it happen due to survival as a group. Even my lower wage staffs able to understand this after a convincing explaination.
We have seen Taiwanese injecting resouces by distributing few hundred ringgit to each citizen before Chinese New Year . I am hoping the goverment here at least inject similar plan by distributing more smaller projects to the smaller guys irregardless political inclination . The spread of distribution works faster in this manner rather than huge projects ( if any planned now ) that unable to reach masses in a big way . Distributes more maintenance projects in small and medium scale and it does contributes to increase high workforce .
Just my two cents .
Adam B
JMD : Thank you Adam for the comment. I am sure the readers can ascertain which of the ministers or politicians who are incompetent or having ill repute without me giving out further names 🙂
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Salam JMD,
It’s been a while since I left any comment in this blog. Nevertheless, I never stop reading your blog and my admiration for you has not waned. However, I have to disagree with you on several points, especially on the re-appointment of Datuk Seri Rafidah to head the International Trade and Industry. While I never doubted her ability, bringing her back will be a step back for BN and could decrease BN’s popularity even further. I would prefer the likes of Datuk Seri Rafidah and TDM to be appointed in advisory post at UMNO level; therefore it will not be interpreted as them influencing the running of the government.
It is interesting that you asked why nobody posted questionaire on certain issues such as the defeat of BN on recent KT by-election. This is according to you, which I agree, as a post mortem to the recent debacle. One of the questionaires that you suggested is:-
3) Do you think people did not vote for Wan Farid because of:
a) Najib / Altantuya / Rosmah
b) Pak Lah / Patrick Badawi / Khairy Jamaluddin
c) He is arrogant
d) Other reasons
Surprisingly I tend to think the answer is (a). Plus the postponement of UMNO election which created disunity among UMNO members.
To make UMNO stronger, I believe UMNO members should start to think ‘out of the box’. i.e. out of UMNO circles. UMNO leaders should look at who’s who at PR and who are their members/supporters. Forgive me, if I’m wrong but from what I see, they are made up by mostly non-malays, young people and even ex-UMNO members who felt that they been mistreated by UMNO. Like UMNO, they also have opportunist, which may be why Anwar didn’t trust them. Otherwise, he would not have asked them to sign the undated resignation letter prior to becoming a PR assemblyman.
Just because a lot of UMNO members hate Pak Lah, it does not mean that UMNO’s strategy should focus on ways to reduce Pak Lah & KJ’s hold on UMNO, etc. UMNO should also focus on how to win the PR members.
Let’s focus on the young people first because I think they are easier to convince/ influence. Young people normally are stubborn and arrogant (‘sombong bodoh’). Because of that, they only want to read the hot stories – gossip. That’s why (a) will be their cup of tea. They are not interested with the economic or other serious issues because they actually do not understand them and do not bother trying to. They are not going to read Datuk Sakmongkol’s blog (with due respect) because they do not understand it. So they will be looking for blogs like Malaysia Today which provides lighter stories but HOT among Malaysians to fill up their brain, so they can show-off to others – I know this and that!.
So what have we learnt here?
To attract the young ones,
1. UMNO leaders must not only clean but MUST BE SEEN to be clean.
2. Any issues that undermine UMNO leaders must be settled immediately
3. Stop talking to the young about things that they don’t understand
Btw, I agree with most of what you wrote JMD. Another great post from my favourite blogger. Keep it coming bro.
Sincerely,
Ismail N
JMD : Thank you for the comment Ismail. Differing views in discussions are very much welcome here. Certainly it is far better than pitiful one liners… 🙂
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JMD,
I join the others in saying a very good piece.
This time I have only questions. I don’t know the answers and under existing political and economic conditions, it’s very difficult to assess likelihoods and probabalities.
I agree on what has to be done but, in the light of money politics and vested interests (those having influence on sizeable UMNO votes interested in positions), would Najib do a Lincoln or an Obama? We all hope so.
Are there no other candidates than Rafidah? Her Bumiputera share allocation issue was raised in Parliament, her partial lists were shown to delegates at UMNO convention when Dr Mahathir was trying to put down Anwar, and she is known as the AP Queen. Is there not anyone at all with perhaps 60-70% of her stated abilities but 10-20% or even none of her share allocation and AP tendencies? If she is back in MITI, what kind of message will it convey to the rakyat and to the foreigners whom she will meet locally and internationally?
I have a strong feeling that Shahrizat would be in Najib’s cabinet, barring unforseen events between now and cabinet announcement – she is a classmate buddy-buddy with Rosmah. As the lawyers say, ipso facto, she is close to Najib as well. Her RM43,000 compared to Dr Mahathir’s RM15,000 per month – perhaps Abdullah was trying to spite the old man for his vicious criticisms. However, would Najib really go on meritocracy? Let’s see.
Ku Li, maybe. The BMF Affair causing billion Ringgit losses to then Bank Bumiputera and shouldered by Petronas occurred during his watch. But that was a long, long time ago.
Would Najib have the political will to bring drastic changes in UMNO, in
government, get the IPCMC established, etc? I wonder. He has not been known to be a strong character. The rakyat’s perception of him has been tainted with the Altantuya allegations, the Port Dickson affair news reports, submarine purchace commission allegations, RM50 million appeasement for vernacular schools during KT by-election, etc. Nevertheless, he is the heir presumptive and I wish him well.
Best wishes.
JMD : Thank you for the comment.
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Well thought out, JMD.
I’d say aye to Rafidah. Okay, okay, there’s the AP thingy, but who can deny that this lady knows her job. She has the facts at her fingertips. Remember the trade talks with the US rep? What was that they said about Rafidah back then? The only minister in (dr m’s) cabinet with balls.
Do you think in governance we should not put too much faith in “popularity”?
I’d rather work for a competent but unpopular boss, then an incompetent nicompoop with nothing but a lot of PR.
JMD : Thank you for the comment.
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Whatever suggestions presented by JMD is totally relevant and very meaningful under the current economic and political situation, we are now in. However, those non-conforming politicians will have to grow up and think more for their country, rather than themselves and their cronies.
It is imperative that Malaysian politicians should team-up with their new leader to start all over again, building a strong foundation for Malaysia, since whatever good work, already put in by the former Prime Minister, had been undetermined by the present one whose entourage includes immediate and extended family members.
To compare Obama and Clinton with Malaysia’s own will be difficult, since there are several ‘friendly countries’ envious of Malaysia’s achievements when it was under the guidance of an honest and committed leader. Some political elements could be blinded with money-politics and that could be the death-knell for Malaysia. Furthermore, Malaysia had once been colonized, while the US had never experienced such a situation. It is easier to divide and rule Malaysia with its plural society than that of US which is only made up of the blacks and the whites. In the US, economy and politics are held by the whites, while in Malaysia, the economy belongs to the Chinese and politics, the Malays. As a result of which, corruption is a life-style amongst the unscrupulous politicians.
It is only obvious Malaysia is in need of a strong leader and not a self-centred weakling. If the Malays can stand united, while the Chinese and Indians support Yang Berhormat Najib’s unwaveringly leadership, JMD’s opinion cannot be faulted by any peace-loving Malaysians.
If what is suggested by JMD can become a reality, Malaysians would be assured of another golden era. It is important that the Malays, as well as, all Malaysians realize that the opposition parties are mere ‘gendang kosong’ or more appropriately, ‘siakap senohong gelama ikan duri, cakap bohong lama-lama akan mencuri’, while UMNO under Pak Lah is a joke.
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I wholeheartedly agree with bringing Rafidah back. Brilliant former Minister, negotiates our position very well.
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Sallam JMD and good morning….
Totally agree with you on these issues.Come March 2009,god willing,DSN will be the PM and got his hands full.The main issue is to huddle a good blend of people to fit into its Cabinet with the main task/focus of steering our economy out of the doldrums.Along the same lines with you,the choice of the Finance Minister and MITI is of paramount importance.
Having TRH back into the cabinet will not only add creditability to the lineup but also add confidence to the country in addressing our economic turmoil.Yes,he is the right person to helm the Finance Ministry.The question is,will DSN have the will to appoint him and will TRH accepts the appointment?At the end of the day,whatever choice they make,it will signal to the rakyat what kind of statesmen they are.
Now who should lead MITI?Given with the scenario of China becoming a new world economic leader,my immediate response is that it should be given to MCA. I guess the possibility is remote.Yup….Rafidah Aziz is the best person to lead MITI.Her vast experience and presence in world trade will ensure that we will not be easily bullied by the “big boys”.The only blemish in this appointment is the AP fiasco.Objectively, the advantages outweigh the disadvantages.Yes,i still have soft spot for this ‘fat ole lady’.For Shahrizat,she need to toe the line……..
I purposely omitted TSMY in the lineup eventhough i think he will become Deputy President come March.To my mind,extraordinary situation needs extraordinary solution.He should be given the task of revamping,rebuilding UMNO which is now in shambles..not merely cosmetic changes but real changes.UMNO should get real because malays are becoming far more educated,affluence and urbanised.The rule of engagement must change.They need leaders whom they can look up for.
As such,all leaders at all levels be it at cawangans,bahagians,MTs should be revamped as the need arises to meet the members expectation.
Who better can make these changes if not the Deputy President and future PM?
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JMD ,
With your unforgiving lashing to certain issues, being a Malay by blood you are very compasionate toward the the idea to work out here KPI on our existing politician . Soft as my beloved mother even toward people that cheat and hurt her . Maybe sometimes being soft and forgiving is the very reason Malay are poked and mocked these days by those insensitve lot.
Maybe I repeat again here for the move to add more low and medium cost maintenance based works by the goverment to start absorbing job losses at this current time. Manage and scrutinize huge capex based projects closely .
Bottomline is economic issues is mostly in Malaysian mind these days.
Adam B
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analisis yg menarik, patik pacal yg hina ini juga nak cadang jugaklah , walaupun kurang arif pasal politik2 ni… bedal jelah
1) DSN perlu satukan konco2 UMNO. Get the big bosses ( the good one) in one table . Pada masa ini bercerai pasti akan roboh. To do that :
a) Dengan berbudi bahasa menjemput TDM sebagai penasihat Gov . Rakyat mesti tahu jemputan ini . Jikapun TDm menolak maka harapan besar penyokong TDM ( yg semestinya masih ramai dah terus akan ramai ) akan join Najib`s Camp. TDM mungkin tidak mahu join kerana utk kotakan kata2 beliau utk tidak jadi mcm Lee Kuan Yew. Tapi TDM is unpredictable. Tapi jika DSN gagal utk membawa TDM sebagai penasihat dan langkah2 yg DSN ambil membawa kemarahan TDM maka Najib pon boleh jadi mcm Paklah. Nak2 lagi dengan pengunjung yg ramai di Chedet.cc
b) Bawa Tengku Razaleigh ( seorang yg berpengalaman dari segi finance dan maybe telah hebat dari segi politik dek kalah dahulu) sebagai Finance Minister sebagaimana yg JDM cadang. Jika Tengku dan TDM boleh duduk semeja maka Najib sudah separuh selamat.
c) Saya bukan penghalang demokrasi dlm UMNO tp DSN cannot take any more damage jika UMNO berpecah. Make a clear sign that he favors Muhyiddin. Get rid Taib , old KM melaka AND for sure KJ. Do not let in any dogs from PL`s camp . To get a boost and blessing from Pemuda`s grassroot , I suggest please “help” Mukhriz.
d) Make sure NO Musa Hitam Involment AND maybe Shahrir. I dont think Shahrir will make a perfect couple for non PL camp. Dosa dier ketika minyak naik amat sukar diampunkan.
2) Perlu tubuh satu Majlis Penasihat Ekonomi utk menangani ekonomi yg meruncing. Untuk mendapatkan sokongan dari Melayu kembali, tarik businessman Melayu yg dibangggakan oleh melayu seperti Dato Ali Hashim dan Tan Sri Syed Mukhtar. Imej bagus mereka ( contoh kejayaan NEP, dan AlBukhari Foundation yg diketahui dan aktivitinya yg rapat dikalangan masyarakat) dan pengalaman luas mereka akan membantu. Menyelam sambil minum air.
3) Bukan perlu bersih sahaja tapi perlu nampak bersih. Ask Nazir to resign as CIMB`s CEO.
4) Arrange a tactical and COORDINATED move in cyberspace to combat any bad images. Use blogs maximally
5) Cari pelapis muda untuk UMNO yg bukan kontraktor/businessman dsb. Carik yg muda dan profession yg rapat dengan masyarakat. Bukankah dulu UMNO dipenuhi dengan Cikgu ? The most trusted profession is another good choice for UMNO`s young lineup ( doctor )
6) kembalikan keyakinan pengundi bukan melayu dengan memulihkan ekonomi. A short term move maybe by introducing Unemployment benefit.
7) Sell Perak`s camry and make use of the money for the people. Reuse the old perdana
8 ) Cadangan membawa kembali rafidah adalah bijak!
9) Tukar politik selamat Najib kerana ini akan membunuh diri sendiri!
JMD : Terima kasih kerana memberi komentar bernas.
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well i do agree with your points.will you comment on the recent havoc in perak? i bet you working on it as we say.its just that i was very very frustrated at this moment, but i cant really say it to anybody so ill settle with being anonymous in your blog.sorry for that.
1. the ‘leap of faith’ that has been championed by pr all this while suddenly was executed by bn.and the impact? very damaging!thats probably why dsai chickened out all this while just yapping.but the problem is,why when the idea was by pr it was all righteous, but when bn does it? its all wrong man.
2. fitnah and umpat.why cant we just not badmouth another person,like all the time?come on take a break.no use claiming you are religious if youre just spreading,believing fitnah like all the time.claiming other people two-faced but theyre just the same(me too, i must because im caught up in the middle but just cant stand it anymore) no point proving that im not on any sides cause reading this will label me as pro bn.whatever..
i have this crazy idea to implement a put yer money where yer mouth is kinda thing where if you think youre good enough then by all means im giving you a chance to just do it.dont just throw stones and then hid your hands like all the time.but that would lead to chaos..haha.
so to conclude my yapping,just give the goddamn govt to pr and focus on serving for starters.hell follow singapore and be a dictator if you like cos most of them likes undermine malaysia and agung2kan singapore.i would tell them to go pack your things and get the hell outta m’sia for all i care.
why look at the bigger picture when your own small picture is very messy and all you do is relating,pointing to whatever without realising you are the parts that builds the big picture.go fix yourself first.mind your own goddamn business.if you really are ready then go run for a leader anywhere.i really want to see politics without money.i firmly believe its all just talk!zero crime zero accidents?? i dont think so.
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Hi JMD,Yr well written article should be read by DSN’s advisers and advise him judiciously.To be seen as dignified leadership, DSN cannot be surrounded by kurang ajar and tainted ministers like Rafidah and Nazri. Hence, for his cabinet to be seen credible and respectable, besides competence and efficiency, integrity and accountability are paramount. Ministers that went against cabinet ethics should be dropped; that include ministers who openly disagreed with ISA detention of a reporter last year. tq, Darahtuah
http://www.darahtuah.wordpress.com
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Badly written. Seems you like comments that praise your writings and hit on your own kompang.
Najib – corrupted, both morally and spiritually. Majority of Malaysians do not want him as PM. Him as Obama or Lincoln? What a laugh! LOL!
Do you think JFK would ever approve of Najib and his actions? Please don’t embarrass yourself by quoting JFK to talk about Najib. What an inappropriate context indeed.
Rafidah – are you joking? One of the most corrupt and hypocritical politicians in Malaysia. As bad as Samy Vellu.
Please do better. Your writings are quite disappointing and your vision for our nation’s politics are quite stunted. Can’t you find better politicians and fresher ideas to recommend?
JMD : Thank you for this particular comment. Firstly, I am not in the business to please anyone. It is not my job to make you feel all giddy inside after reading any article that I wrote. I am not writing a thesis that for a PHD that requires you to grade whatever I wrote. However, I am in fact quite amused that you would assume I love all the praise I am getting. lochosvestu, this blog is where I write my opinion.
Since when I equated Najib as Obama and Lincoln? Please read the above article properly. I gave an opinion that Najib should follow their footsteps. By the way, how would I know whether JFK would approve Najib’s action? That is not even a relevant argument to write here. My mother also do not approve JFK’s shenanigans with Hollywood stars back then if we were to follow your silly logic. Please do not assume an answer by asking a question.
Again, I urge you to read my early writings concerning the steps need to be done by BN after the general elections. I am sure you will indulge me with your time as I have indulge this comment of yours.
Also, we would love to hear your writings on your vision about the nation’s politics. I am sure whatever you learned in college can benefit us all tremendously.
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