PM could have done more to inspire confidence, says analyst

 

Ismail Sabri Yaakob making his maiden speech to the nation on Sunday. (Facebook pic)

PETALING JAYA: Prime Minister Ismail Sabri Yaakob missed an opportunity to inspire confidence in the people in his maiden speech yesterday as he did not indicate how different his government would be from that of his predecessor Muhyiddin Yassin, says an analyst.

Oh Ei Sun.

Oh Ei Sun, a senior fellow at the Singapore Institute of International Affairs, welcomed Ismail’s offer of an olive branch to the opposition, especially in handling Covid-19 and reviving the economy.

“But I was concerned when he said the previous administration’s Covid-19 strategies will be continued and improved upon because the previous government failed miserably. He might have inspired more confidence by saying he will review failed strategies and formulate new ones.”

Oh said Ismail must establish his Cabinet quickly and provide more details on how different his government will be from the previous one. “We need to know this government’s strategy for reviving the economy. We need details. Even when we talk about reviving the private sector, how are we going to do that differently?”

Yesterday Ismail said a more inclusive approach would be adopted to tackling Covid-19 and reviving the economy. He also briefly touched on his economic priorities.

Azmi Hassan.

Another analyst, Azmi Hassan said it was good that Ismail had openly spoken of cooperation with the opposition.

“From Ismail’s track record, I believe we will see a hands-on prime minister. I believe he hasn’t named his Cabinet yet because it is a thorny issue, especially with reports of various parties and personalities making all sorts of demands and requests,” he said.

Political scientist Wong Chin Huat said Ismail’s speech was reconciliatory in tune, and was similar to Muhyiddin’s maiden address as prime minister.

Wong Chin Huat.

“But we can judge better after his cabinet lineup and if there are any confidence agreements with the opposition.

“I really think he needs to be bolder in the government structure by replacing Muhyiddin’s National Recovery Council with a federal-state council on economic recovery and health that brings in three parties: federal government, federal opposition and state governments.”

Such a council would enable the formulation of better policies and ensure all parties shared political responsibility for any necessary but unpopular policies. - FMT