YOURSAY | ‘It would leave us back in square one - and the era of Dr M’s first premiership tenure.’

Khazanah, Petronas and PNB proposed to be moved to PM's Dept

Anonymousytmq123: Pakatan Harapan’s manifesto says that the prime minister would not hold any ministry, but when you have government-linked companies (GLCs) under the direct supervision of the Prime Minister’s Office (PMO), then Harapan is deemed to be contradicting its manifesto.

This is because the GLCs in Malaysia by virtue of certain powers (regulatory or monopolistic controls) have considerable influence, and in some respects even a ministry may not have such influence.

Perhaps Petronas should be under the Water, Land and Natural Resources Ministry. Perhaps Felda should be under the Primary Industries Ministry or Agriculture and Agro-based Industry Ministry.

Perhaps Permodalan Nasional Berhad (PNB) should be under the Finance Ministry or Economy Ministry. Tenaga Nasional should be under the Energy Ministry.

Each of the GLCs should be under the ministry that relates to the industry concerned. That way, you would have more ministers being in charge of the most important functions of the government, instead of having PMO being too powerful.

When PMO becomes too powerful, what assurance do we have that the other cabinet ministers would question the prime minister if the prime minister makes decisions that are less than "ideal" (putting it subtly)?

Apa Ini: Putting all three giants under the PMO would leave us back in square one - and the era of Mahathir’s first premiership tenure.

He was reminded to not take up the Education Ministry; he should be reminded that this is a similar move, taking over and expanding his leadership beyond that of the prime minister.

Legit: If this story is true, it will be a disaster for the Harapan government. DAP, PKR and Amanah, please have some guts and stand up to Mahathir. Do not let him become so powerful and become dictator 2.0.

Petronas and Khazanah should be placed directly under Parliament and they should not be under any minister. PNB can stay under the Minister of Finance Inc (MoF).

Anonymous 2405371458107314: It is not a good idea to have PMO take over any government companies.

These should remain under MoF. Expertise from other ministries may be co-opted to oversee the investments.

ROAST-mah: This is another case of “style mahu, rugi tak apa”.

What is the point of grandstanding appointments at the top if the nitty-gritty part of running a business or investment portfolio is not in the hands of capable management?

Najib's presence casts a pall of gloom over Parliament

Anonymous_97d3c1a7: Malaysiakini contributor Phlip Rodrigues fails to understand that former prime minister Najib Abdul Razak doesn’t consider him the target audience of his rants.

To Najib, he has to maintain his “innocence”. He is playing to the gallery, knowing that many rural Malay folks are still undecided about his guilt.

He probably feels if he can get them to go against Mahathir by playing the “political victim” card, he may be able to engineer the turnaround of Umno’s fortunes. And he will then be a hero to Umno and redeem his family name.

Meanwhile, his proxy Ahmad Zahid Hamidi is happy to let him do just that and sit quietly to reap the benefits later.

Sunshine: This is an insightful article by Rodrigues. In a number of democracies in Asia, the perpetrators of a massive sovereign fund scandal would have been speedily brought to face criminal charges and dealt with.

But given Najib’s power and influence, he has successfully employed diversionary tactics and hence the new Pakatan Harapan government needs time to bring him to book in a legitimate manner.

We are in the category of nations like Zimbabwe, South Africa, et cetera, where naming and shaming those who commit abuse of power and corrupt practices while holding high office takes a long time to result in effective resolution following due process. It should and will happen.

Shibboleth: The rule of law confers Najib, and all those who are charged, the presumption of innocence until proven guilty.

This is an evocative piece written by Rodrigues, but it is not accurate. Each time Najib appears on TV, it is a reminder of how long an accused can live in denial; each time he opens his mouth to defend himself, it is one more string in the attorney-general's bow to make sure the arrow doesn't miss.

Annonnymous 080: Indeed, one is not guilty until proven otherwise. However, what is shameful is that BN, especially Umno, seem to have placed Najib on a pedestal, as can be seen in photos, where Najib gets to seat immediately next to opposition leader Zahid.

Umno and BN have to ditch him should they want to prosper, not carry the baggage of the past. Whenever Najib or the previous government is attacked or referred to, Umno seem to be ready to jump in and counterattack.

I am rather happy to note Umno MPs' attendance record in Parliament now, compared to before.

Fair Play: I’m taking a different view from the author of this article, why begrudge Najib the chance to play to the gallery in Parliament?

After all, it is his right, as a duly elected MP by his constituency. The speaker cannot eject him from Parliament.

Apollos: Rodrigues, does your opinion also apply to DAP secretary-general Lim Guan Eng? Or have you conveniently forgotten about him?

Remember, he is not only charged in court but also elevated to the position of finance minister.

Behsaikong: For all the reasons you (Rodrigues) have so aptly cited and elaborated here, that is why Najib’s presence in Parliament is better for the government than for his own side, the opposition.

His very presence shows up the opposition's faults. It reminds all Malaysians of how the entire opposition did not check his deeds and misdeeds when they were the government.

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