Education the biggest victim in Najib’s Cabinet reshuffle, says PKR

 Selangor exco in charge of education Nik Nazmi Nik Ahmad believes education has become the biggest victim in Prime Minister Datuk Seri Najib Razak’s Cabinet shake-up. – The Malaysian Insider file pic, July 30, 2015.

Education has become the biggest "victim", said a Selangor exco in charge of education, following Tuesday's cabinet reshuffle which saw the recreation of two ministries to handle the portfolio.

Nik Nazmi Nik Ahmad, the Selangor exco for education, human capital development, science, technology and innovation, said the restructuring of the education ministry would cause confusion and scupper any developments done.

"Now it would seem that the Barisan Nasional government is unsure of the direction that they would like to take," he said in a statement today.

The cabinet reshuffle saw Prime Minister Datuk Seri Najib Razak axing his deputy and education minister, Tan Sri Muhyiddin Yassin, in a move many believed was due to the latter's criticism on 1Malaysia Development Berhad (1MDB).

Datuk Seri Mahadzir Khalid is now education minister, while Datuk Seri Idris Jusoh was appointed higher education minister.

The last time the Education Ministry was split into two was during the administration of former prime minister Tun Abdullah Ahmad Badawi but it was then merged back into a single ministry when Najib took over from Abdullah in 2009.

Nik Nazmi said the appointment of Mahadzir sent the wrong signal to the public who were desperate to see real reforms in the education sector.

"It is well known that every minister that helms the education portfolio would want to set their own agenda as such inconsistency has always been the problem for our education development.

"Therefore all efforts done in the very recent history with the view of 'reforming' the education sector might be to no avail," he said adding that it was widely known the country's education sector is on a decline and recent developments would not help much.

He said it was sad that Umno's internal politics had caused such inconsistencies, sacrificing the greater good of the whole nation.

"(Datuk Seri) Najib and the Barisan government should realise that their failure to live up to their role as an administration is damaging the system, and this will ultimately affect the future generation of this country," he added.

- TMI