NEW PM FOR MALAYSIA: He must be more honest than Najib, his wife must not be like ROSMAH

Come the next General Election, let’s be careful who we select as our next Prime Minister. We do not need leaders whose sons and daughters have mansions and penthouses in London and New York. Let’s stay away from the type who likes to travel in private jets and rubs shoulders with leaders from Washington and London. We are not a G20 country, for God’s sake—there is no need for our leaders to be seen with Obama or Cameron all too often.

We want a PM who knows what life is like for ordinary Malaysians. We are still a country that needs to give people RM900 in cash so they will vote for the government in power during elections. We have a government that still pays cash to those travelling to voting centres, although this is not called bribery. We are a country where land cannot be used because of poor irrigation facilities. We are a country where dengue is a yearly epidemic. In Kelantan alone, more than 20,000 families are still waiting for their houses to be repaired or for the cash support that was promised to them after the last great flood. In short, we are a country where basic amenities are still unavailable to the common people, and yet we have a PM who behaves like an Emperor.

And very important, PM's wife must not be another Rosmah

Come the next General Election, let’s also be careful of the wife of the Prime Minister we want to select. She must not be the type who wants her own office in Putrajaya. We do not need a First Lady—this is not America. This is not France. We do not need a PM’s wife who flaunts her wealth. There is no need to cause further pain to the rakyat, who have seen their spending power dip even lower in the wake of GST. We do not need to see our PM’s wife travel the world in private jets while being draped with diamonds.

Tun Dr. Siti Hasmah

Let’s make sure the wife of the future PM is not someone who attracts the attention of world leaders, who would rather spend time with her than the PM. Let’s make sure the wife does not call the CEOs of banks and GLCs to tell them what to do in matters of state. We just need a PM with a good, low-key wife who helps her husband discharge his duties. We want another Tun Dr Siti Hasmah, who was and continues to be always gracious and kind. Our Deputy Prime Minister’s wife fits the bill but her husband, strangely enough, appears to be a reluctant PM candidate.

Finally, can we please have a PM who talks sense? Let’s have someone who speaks plain Bahasa Malaysia or English, someone who writes his own important speeches so he understands what he is saying. There are just too many consultants and too much money being paid to them. We can have speech writers if the speech is for the United Nations or some other global platform, but we need someone who knows how to speak from the heart when he is talking to Malaysians.

The rakyat wants to know that their money in the EPF and their shares in Felda are safe, that their Amanah Saham unit trusts will continue to give good dividends, and that their savings in Tabung Haji will not disappear in a dubious business deal. They want to know that there is enough money for PTPTN loans to continue.

Once they are assured of all of this, there will be no need for expensive consultants to protect the PM’s image. The people’s PM will be confident and will know that the rakyat will accept him and believe in him, with little help from the spin doctors. - zaid.my