The announcements made by the prime minister may appear insignificant and insufficient to address the core issues faced by the country. However, the incoherent and quarrelsome Pakatan coalition may actually make the prime minister sound good and efficient.

At best, Pakatan's own performance in the last 15 months was mediocre. Apart from making some pledges to reform - such as the introduction of a Freedom of Information Act in Selangor, the intention to hold local elections and the declaration of assets by the state executive members - a number of Pakatan state governments' initiatives were equally populist.