COMMENT | “Hey Zan! You know what’s the fascinating thing about not being a minister anymore?”

“No. What?”

“Now I have extraordinary extra time to read more books!”

This was how Simpang Renggam MP Maszlee Malik, who is also the former minister of education, greeted me in the morning at his house as he walked down with a stack of about half a dozen books in his arm.

He put the stack of books down in his library/office and led me to the dining area. We had a breakfast date. I hadn’t met him since he stepped down as minister. We both were pretty busy. I had a baby and he had to deal with a major political manoeuvre known as the Sheraton Move and being sacked from his party Bersatu, along with other leaders including the former prime minister, Dr Mahathir Mohamad.

So, how is it really like for a reluctant politician who, as a first-term MP, was suddenly picked as a member of the cabinet, then voluntarily resigned, and right after, navigated through one of the country’s most volatile political turmoils?

“God always has a plan,” Maszlee said, smiling.

Ever since Maszlee entered politics, he hasn’t had an easy time. According to him, the entry to his political career was a baptism of fire. But he has persevered and he always repeats the phrase “God always has a plan”...