BIG IN SIZE, SMALL IN SKILLS: The sorry state of Najib's DYSFUNCTIONAL cabinet

Dato’ Seri Liow Tiong Lai might be walking on cloud nine these days, but he should not get too comfortable.

The newly appointed transport minister has only half of the power left compared to his predecessor Dr Ling Liong Sik. Liow inherited a transport ministry that its major power stripped off and placed under Prime Minister’s Department as Land Public Transport Commission (SPAD).

Public transport is a major issue that affects lives for millions of Malaysians. SPAD controls taxis, buses, LRT and other forms of public transport. Without the power of SPAD, transport minister is severely handicapped. SPAD is placed firmly in the hands of Prime Minister via UMNO veteran Syed Hamid Albar. Worse, the SPAD chief is accorded with minister’s status, same status as Liow.

Government Fragmented

This is not an isolated case. Take for example the Urban Wellbeing, Housing and Local Government Ministry, providing affordable housing in this country is no longer placed under this ministry. For years, Syarikat Perumahan Nasional Bhd (SPNB) is the main driver to provide affordable housing, but it is placed under EPU within Prime Minister’s Department. For unknown reasons, SPNB too has been sidelined. The Prime Minister now created another giant agency called PR1MA which is also placed under Prime Minister’s Department. Therefore, ministry of Urban Wellbeing, Housing and Local Government has left with little power to provide housing to take care of the wellbeing of Malaysians.

Let’s look at another main agenda for the Malaysian Government - creating an innovative and scientific Malaysian society. This objective is clear but implementation is again fragmented. Powers of Science, Technology and Innovation Ministry has been diluted so much into the hands of PM’s Department through Agensi Innovasi Malaysia (AIM), a GLC called Cradle and recently launched Malaysian Global Innovation and Creative Center (MAGIC). So, it is not much that the minister can do.

These agencies are not cheap. The CEO of AIM ‘s salary, allowance and bonus is approximately RM69,000 a month. The CEO of SPAD is paid yearly salary of RM480,000, yearly allowance of RM 162,000 and bonus of RM60,000 or equivalent to RM 51,833 a month. CEO of TalentCorp is paid RM30,000 a month and car allowance of RM5,000 which comes to about RM420,000 yearly.

These are just tips of the iceberg. Huge amount of public fund is needed every year to run these agencies. Malaysians should ask how many agencies do we need to run this country? How to coordinate new agencies with existing ones and their interdepartmental politics?

It was revealed recently that some companies have been taking different government grants from various agencies for the same technology project proposal. It shows that our agencies don’t talk to each other, therefore enabling companies to take advantage of a fragmented government.

So, Mr. Prime Minister, your cabinet is fragmented, bloated and dysfunctional.

Cabinet Bloated and Expensive

Prime Minister Najib has the largest XXL cabinet in the history of Malaysia with 35 ministers and 27 deputy ministers compared to Tun Abdullah’s cabinet of 29 ministers. Arguably, Prime Minister Najib yields the most powers as head of state compared to other world leaders because he is also Finance Minister and 10 ministers work in Prime Minister’s Department. In fact, an astonishing 20 Members of Parliament or former MPs work in Prime Minister’s department heading various portfolios and agencies. Many of them have ministerial status.

To put things into perspective, the President of United States only has 15 cabinet ministers. Najib’s cabinet is too large and bloated for a small country like us.

With such a large cabinet, new agencies are being created for new ministers with their new ideas and pet projects. However, few agencies have ever been closed down. Take for example, if PR1MA is the new driver for affordable housing, why hasn’t SPNB been integrated into PR1MA? If MAGIC is the new center for Innovation and Creativity, why is our government still keeping Agensi Innovasi Malaysia (AIM)?

At the rate we are going, Najibs’ cabinet will only keep growing in size and country’s budget deficit continue soaring.

Cabinet Dysfunctional

Even with more cabinet ministers, Najib’s Cabinet has made fewer decisions than ever before. Since GE13, Malaysia is left on autopilot and it has long headed into wrong direction. Right wing NGOs and government agencies are left unhampered to create racial and religion tensions, with the Cabinet taking no firm stand.

IGP openly defied court order on child custody issue and Prime Minister did nothing. MAIS openly defied order from Attorney General’s office, ignoring 10 points solution from Cabinet and faced deafening silence from our bloated cabinet.

Right wing NGOs wanted to behead those who disagree with them, but again our Prime Minister said nothing. He can’t even take action against a racially provocative Chinese-convert professor in a government university!

Opinion polls as of March 2014 showed that only 38% thought the country is heading into the right direction. As high as 56% of Malaysians were dissatisfied with the Government in handling the economy. Prime Minister’s approval rating has dropped by a whopping 10% since GE13, barely a year ago.

A cabinet as big as 35 ministers will not solve the real problems in this country. Prime Minister’s complete lack of leadership will place this country further into anxiety and uncertainty. The real test of the cabinet is leadership.

Sim Tze Tzin is the Bayan Baru MP

纳吉内阁的困境

这几天，拿督斯里廖中莱可能会感觉飘飘然，可是我奉劝他不要开心得太早。他所出任的交通部长一职，其实比起敦林良实的年代，权力已被削减一半。陆路公共交通委员会（SPAD）理应属交通部，但这个影响百万人民生活的委员会目前隶属首相署，而不是交通部。陆路公共交通委员会拥有绝对的权力来管制德士、巴士、轻快铁及其他的公共交通，如果廖部长没有掌控这个委员会，交通部长是有名无实的。SPAD委员会目前由巫统元老赛.哈密牢牢控制，更难堪的是赛.哈密拥有部长的等级，与廖中莱平起平坐。

内阁权利散乱

这不是个案，再以城市规划、房屋及地方政府部为例子。这个部门理应该负责为人民提供可负担房屋。但是国家房屋有限公司（SPNB）是建立可负担房屋的主要机构。这家公司不隶属房屋部，反而是首相署属下的经济策划单位（EPU），更糟糕的是，如今这家公司似乎也被政府打入冷宫。首相成立了庞大的一个马来西亚房屋计划机构（PR1MA）来建造可负担房屋，这个机构也是隶属首相署管制。因此，城市规划、房屋及地方政府部长只有微薄的权力来建设房屋计划，照顾人民的福祉。

马来西亚政府的另一个主要议程是创造一个具有创意及科学知识的社会。这个目标是非常清晰的，但是实行起来却一样乱糟糟。科学、工艺及革新部长没有掌握权利，反而是首相署通过近期推展的马来西亚全球革新及创意中心（MAGIC）以及国家革新机构（AIM）掌握了实际的权力。所以，部长的权利也被瓜分了。

这些机构都是非常豪华的机构。AIM行政总裁的年薪，包括了花红及津贴可高达83万500令吉，平均每一个月是6万9000令吉的薪金。陆路交通委员会主席的年薪是48万令吉或相等于每月4万令吉，这还不包括每年获得的固定津贴16万2000令吉及花红6万令吉，等于每月5万1833令吉的薪金。此外，人才机构（TalentCorp）的总裁每月也领取3万令吉的薪金和5000令吉的轿车补贴，综合起来年薪则高达42万令吉。

这明显是一种浪费公款的做法，我们还需要用多少的金钱去维持这些功能重叠的机构呢？内阁如何协调这些机构重叠的权利架构？部长如何解决跨部门的政治因素？根据近期媒体的报道，一些私人企业在同样的科技计划上，获得好几个政府机构的补助。这些机构都没有良好沟通，所以私人企业就利用政府不协调的弱点，来谋取利益。 臃肿及散乱是首相纳吉的内阁的困境。

最臃肿，昂贵的内阁

首相所委任的内阁，是马来西亚史上最XXL的内阁，拥有35位部长及27位副部长，比较起来2008年前首相敦阿都拉的内阁只有29位部长。况且，首相纳吉可说是全世界掌握最多权力的国家领导人，因为他也是财政部长，首相署也有10位部长，更惊人的是有20位现任或前任国会议员也在首相署的机构及委员会内掌控要职，他们当中很多都拥有部长等级的资格。从另一个角度观看，美国总统只委任15位内阁部长，对于小国的大马而言，35位内阁部长，是过于庞大及臃肿。

很多机构是应当综合为一体的，可是政府却没有这样做。举个例子，倘若一个马来西亚房屋计划机构是全新的建设可负担房屋的翘楚，为何国家房屋有限公司没有与其融为一体呢？如果马来西亚全球革新及创意中心是崭新的革新及创意平台，为何国家革新机构没有被纳入呢？最终，纳吉的内阁只会继续的庞大，而国家赤字则会进一步坠入无底深渊。

纳吉无能领导

纵使有更多的内阁部长，可是纳吉的内阁仍然没有发挥应当的功能，比起之前，内阁所做出的决定也更少了。自从第13届大选后，国家的行政也犹如自动启航，而且迈向错误的方向。极端的非政府组织及政府机构人员，引发了种族及宗教间的紧张关系，可是内阁却没有表明立场。在儿女抚养权的问题上，总警长公然的违抗法庭的命令，没有执行庭令，但首相却保持沉默。雪州宗教理事会也公开的违反总检察署的指示，也没有遵守内阁的10点解决改教问题的方案，首相也视诺无睹。首相甚至不敢对付在政府大学内任教的极端华裔穆斯林教授采取行动。

今年3月进行的一项民意调查也显示，49%的国民认为国家走在错误的方向，只有38%认为是正确的。56%的国民也不满意政府处理经济的问题，只有39%同意。首相的支持率也从第13届大选迄今，下降了10%。

拥有35位部长的庞大内阁，并不能解决马来西亚目前所面对的问题，缺乏领导能力的首相，只会带领国家走向不稳定性及焦虑。显然，领导能力是目前内阁最大的考验。

沈志勤

峇央峇鲁国会议员