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A reminder to Harapan on our system of government

LETTER | Today I want to remind the government a few things under our system of government. First, the prime minister is only the first “among equals”. Second, major decisions must be made in the cabinet and the decisions made are by consensus. Third, the cabinet is collectively responsible and fourth, government decisions and policies must be consistent and coherent.

Preferably, we should have a cabinet spokesperson to coordinate and announce all major cabinet decisions. Ministers and the PM should minimise making statements skewed to their own preferences.

Under the Westminster system of Parliament, the PM does not have unfettered powers that we are made to believe today. We do not elect a president and our PM is not elected by all the people directly. He only enjoys the confidence of a majority in the House of Representatives, the Dewan Rakyat.

In fact, have we forgotten that part of the 14th general election was fought on the basis of curtailing some of the unfettered excesses of past prime ministers? The cabinet, the Parliament, the civil service, the royalty and the fourth estate are supposed to provide checks and balances.

If we see too many unilateral decisions and bulldozing, that is not a good sign. It means power has again gravitated and centralised to the detriment of good governance and fair play.

Under our system of government, political parties in control of the majority in Parliament are supposed to control the government of the day. Rightly, all major decisions and policies that affect the constituents of all political parties must be discussed at the party and coalition levels first. Sometimes the cabinet and individual ministers, including the PM, are too self-centric to be concerned with the collective good of the coalition. They think they can do no wrong but track records have proven otherwise.

I think we should get our bearings right; politicians who are good in maintaining power and controlling every agenda of the country do not necessarily mean they are able to serve people and the nation better. It only proves that they are better at manoeuvring and manipulating. It is timely to remind the government that maintaining power does not equate to service to the people and nation.

Khat, for example, is not a minor decision. It involves the future competitiveness of our students and the use of resources in the Ministry of Education of this country. We need rationale, justification and reasons for its introduction to the school syllabus that is already wallowing in archaisms and backwardness. We just can’t decide on this one Thursday afternoon out of the blue, notwithstanding past administrations might have contemplated on this before.

Another issue is Lynas. Sometimes I feel that our PM likes to pre-empt issues and some of his ministers have become too parochial and self-aggrandising. We want to hear clear evidence whether Lynas is harmful to us or not, regardless of money and wealth this industry will generate. I have a simple question – if it is so safe and so profitable and strategic, why aren't other countries, particularly Australia, not doing it? Japan needs it more than us, so why didn’t Japan have it?

I think the government owes us this much – just tell us the truth because, at the end of the day, it is we ordinary people who have nowhere else to go and are incapable of protecting ourselves. Leaders in government cannot make hard decisions in a cursory manner simply because they have power today. If they do not look after the future and the long-term interests of the people, who else will do it?

For years, many Pakatan Harapan politicians were fighting in the wilderness, saying and projecting all the right things that resonate with the people of this country. Today, they are in government and able to call the shots and do the right things.

I am still trying to fathom what has caused them to become so irrational, chicken-hearted and dumb. But I think your guess will be as good as mine. 


The views expressed here are those of the author/contributor and do not necessarily represent the views of Malaysiakini.

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