Daim said most of the Cabinet were beyond their political expiry dates. — File picKUALA LUMPUR, March 24 ― Datuk Seri Najib Razak needs new faces on his team to strengthen public support for the administration, former finance minister Tun Daim Zainuddin has suggested, saying there is “too much deadwood” in the prime minister’s current Cabinet.
The influential politician said in an interview published in the New Sunday Times today that Najib, currently ending his first term as prime minister, has done a “fairly good” job but must reorganize his administrators and drop non-performers.
“Najib should reshuffle the Cabinet. Bring new faces. People think he is carrying too much deadwood in the Cabinet.
“Most are already past their use-by date,” he said in the interview.
According to English language daily The Star recently, Najib’s election team will prominently feature young faces, with up to 40 per cent of veterans dropped from the Election 2013 race.
The report added that Najib, said to be in the final phase vetting the candidates list, “had identified quite a number of the old guards to be excluded, with some of them coming forward to voluntarily step aside”.
“Barisan has 141 MPs, of which 75 have served more than three terms. Sources say that not all will be replaced but the prime minister wants to include new faces as part of his Political Transformation Programme,” the daily had said.
Citing sources, The Star also reported that four previous Cabinet stalwarts are among those stepping down for newcomers, including former International Trade and Industry Minister Tan Sri Rafidah Aziz, former Natural Resources and Environment Minister Datuk Seri Azmi Khalid, former Home Minister Datuk Seri Radzi Sheikh Ahmad and former Housing and Local Government Minister Tan Sri Ong Ka Ting.
As for Najib’s Cabinet, a reshuffle is definitely in the pipeline with several ministers expected to be dropped, the most notable being Works Minister Datuk Shaziman Abu Mansor, government sources recently told The Malaysian Insider.
Daim urged voters to give Najib ― who is now seeking his own mandate as prime minister ― a chance, saying he “is doing a fairly good job” and that the country’s sixth premier is still a better option than Opposition Leader Datuk Seri Anwar Ibrahim.
“If you ask me, between the two, Najib or Anwar, I would choose Najib. I will give Najib the chance. Give him the mandate and see whether he delivers because Anwar has had his chances, but he blew them,” the former finance minister said.
Anwar was formerly the deputy prime minister in Tun Dr Mahathir Mohamad’s administration. He was sacked in 1998 following a tumultuous fallout with then Dr Mahathir, which saw him slapped with sodomy charges and a subsequent six-year jail sentence. Daim was at the time one of Dr Mahathir’s most trusted confidantes.
A star of the Mahathir administration, Daim played a crucial role in steering Malaysia out of the 1998 Asian financial storm.
The former finance minister, known for his acute analytic skills, had also accurately predicted that BN would lose its parliamentary supermajority and four states prior to Election 2008.
This time around, Daim said he was certain of a BN win but refused to state if he felt Najib could restore the ruling coalition’s two-thirds majority in Parliament.
He again reminded Najib that allowing “new and clean” candidates deemed acceptable to voters would be key to BN’s success, adding that the ruling coalition only needed some fence-sitters’ support in addition to its close to four million members nationwide to procure a stronger mandate.
“But before BN can win, there must be unity within the coalition. If they are not united, Pakatan (Rakyat) will do better. That’s what happened in 2008,” he was quoted as saying.
Leaders blamed BN’s dismal performance in the March 8 elections on internal sabotage stemming from widespread discontent towards the leadership of Tun Abdullah Ahmad Badawi. Umno, BN’s Malay lynchpin, subsequently had him removed and replaced with Najib.
“Stay united and don’t sabotage. We need a steady and experienced hand. Only BN has the experience,” the former minister said.
Daim said while he would support Najib, he would continue to be critical of his government. The former minister also reminded Najib on his administration’s vow to fight corruption.
“I would support Najib, but he must fight corruption and crime, strengthen the nation’s security and review the education system,” he said.
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