YOURSAY | 'You must have a specific tenure and job description, one that is endorsed by cabinet.'

I want him there - Dr M adamant Daim remains

Jasmine: It is obvious that Prime Minister Dr Mahathir Mohamad, hopefully with wisdom, has his reasons for wanting the chairperson of the Council of Eminent Persons (CEP) Daim Zainuddin to stay on as an advisor. This does not necessarily include all the members of the CEP.

“Access to a lot of information” is one declared reason. We, of course, are left to wonder at this near desperation.

Nevertheless what is obvious is that Mahathir seems to have complete trust and faith in Daim and his abilities. Past relationship and experiences between the two no doubt helm this trust.

A relatively young and rookie cabinet adds to the push to rely on past faithfuls too. While Mahathir’s own age must be weighing on him, his performance so far surpasses other much younger members of his administration.

Mahathir seems to be saying that he needs a right-hand man, who is not there in the administration yet. He has chosen Daim.

How this choice will work out with the rest of the cabinet and the Pakatan Harapan presidential council will be seen in the next few days.

Susahkes: My concern with Mahathir wanting Daim to stay is this:

1. What other 100-day promises are deemed as “flexible” by him? What do you mean, "I never mentioned any 100 days?" Well, somebody did.
2. After 100 days, then what? 1,000 days? 10,000 days?

You must have a specific tenure and job description, one that is endorsed by the cabinet.

Otherwise, come next time Daim makes a trip to China et cetera, he is going to have a lot of questions, from both the public and the opposition.

Drngsc: This clearly shows that Mahathir is dictatorial and undemocratic.

You have a cabinet. You should work with an elected cabinet.

If he wants Daim, then Daim can decide whether to stay or not. As for the rest, I call upon all of them to resign.

Malaysia thanks the CEP. You all must respect that Malaysia practices democracy. Your appointments were not in line with democratic principles.

We made a one-off exemption before the cabinet was formed. Now we have a cabinet. You all must respect the cabinet, and democracy.

CEP member Robert Kuok, you are a person of principles. You must be able to understand what Malaysians want and what is democratic.

Please resign. Allow the cabinet to rule the country, as they were elected by the people.

Kim Quek: The return of the Mahathir-Daim combination evokes the disgusting heydays of Umno’s crony-capitalism that brought the country to the brink of financial collapse during the 1997/98 Asian financial crisis, as well as the political persecution of Harapan de facto Anwar Ibrahim under Sodomy I.

The latter, in turn, gave birth to Reformasi which is now the dominating force ruling the country, apparently.

At a time when the public is already jittery over Mahathir’s propensity to appoint old cronies to key positions, his apparent desperation to lean on Daim for his rule has only compounded worries of his reformist resolve, which is also fuelled by his refusal to promptly execute various manifesto pledges which signify institutional reforms.

There is no doubt that the promised collective leadership under Reformasi rule has not been materialised. Under the circumstances, Daim’s return to power will be an emphatic signal that Harapan has not safely landed on the Reformasi highway yet.

David Dass: Mahathir is 93 years old. He is prime minister. These are challenging times. The cabinet is relatively inexperienced. The CEP advise him. The CEP in turn has set up various committees to assist them.

There is the committee overseeing the 1MDB investigation. And there is the Committee on Institutional Reforms.

Their recommendations will be given to the prime minister and presumably will be considered by the cabinet.

100 days is a short time. An extension simply means more time to assist the prime minister.

As many have asked - why is there so much fuss over the CEP? The nation is faced with many challenges. Harapan is virtually setting up a new government with a new approach to things.

All policies, projects and contracts of the previous agreement are being reviewed. Many senior personnel in government and in government-linked companies (GLCs) are being replaced.

Investigations into alleged crimes involve hundreds of personnel. Ministers are on a steep learning curve.

The CEP can only help. Expectations are high. Many are impatient at what they perceive to be the slow pace of things.

Sometimes silly mistakes are made but these are not serious mistakes. They stem from inexperience. They will learn.

Let us all be a bit patient, and give them a bit of time. In the meantime, breathe in the sweet air of freedom.

Anonymous_1527925538: The CEP members are not paid a single sen. Theirs is a service to our country and we pay tribute to all of them.

I hope they can continue to offer their services and experience as Mahathir needs all the help he can get to resolve all the mess left behind by the previous government.

Justice: As long as the cabinet members have or will have the final say or decision on whether to accept or reject the recommendations or proposals made by the CEP, the CEP could continue to act as an advisory body, as sort of consultants to the cabinet.

At his age, Mahathir should just guide and supervise and let the cabinet members learn their trade, including making decisions in order to gain experience, because one day, Mahathir will not be around and when that time comes, the cabinet members should already be competent, capable and have acquired sufficient experience.

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