With Selangor BN chief Noh Omar’s return to the cabinet, analysts say the ruling coalition is paving the way for its recapture of the Selangor government in the 14th general election.
One of them, the Malaysian Professors Council political, security and international affairs cluster head, Mohamed Mustafa Ishak, opined that Noh’s appointment is the only significant change in the cabinet.
“It is important to have someone of a ministerial rank. It gives extra weight to help Umno-BN at the state level,” he told Malaysiakini when contacted yesterday.
Noh is an experienced candidate for a ministerial post since he had previously held a ministerial position, he added, and the Tanjung Karang MP was also a key player in BN’s victorious Sungai Besar election campaign as its election director about a fortnight ago.
He said the rest of the changes in the cabinet were only cosmetic and meant to fill some vacancies.
However, he notes that this is also a boon because such small changes help ensure the smooth running of government affairs.
Mohamed believes that a snap election is unlikely, because the government needs time to deliver on its election promises first before heading to the polls.
Separately, the Institute for Democracy and Economic Affairs (Ideas) CEO Wan Saiful Wan Jan concurred with Mohamed’s analysis.
With his new post as the urban wellbeing, housing and local government minister, Wan Saiful said Noh is now well-poised to tackle many of the common complaints against the PKR-led state government.
“Some of the main complaints given by the people of Selangor is the lack of affordable housing and the quality of maintenance of public infrastructure.
“These are things that Noh Omar can play a role in, and we can expect there will be more interventions by the ministry, especially when it comes to a few housing projects that had been abandoned.
“There are things he can do to fix that situation and that may have a positive impact on voters’ perception on BN,” he told Malaysiakini.
Eyeing Selangor
The ministry plays a wide variety of roles, although the limits of federal power means it would often have to collaborate with state governments to execute its projects.
These include the provision of public housing, formulating policies for solid waste management, eradicating urban poverty, and regulating the activities of pawn brokers.
Meanwhile, pollster Ibrahim Suffian said Noh’s appointment shows that Prime Minister Najib Abdul Razak is eyeing Selangor.
“I think he (Najib) is empowering him (Noh) to retake Selangor for BN,” he said.
Asked if the appointment is a reward for Noh’s achievements at the Sungai Besar by-election, Ibrahim said that is not the only factor.
“It is not just Sungai Besar, but for holding the fort in Selangor for so long, and trying to give him a position that will allow him to become the strength of the party in preparation for the general election.
“Because Selangor is an urban state, the idea is to give him enough support so that he can win back the state for BN,” he said.
Noh was appointed as the Selangor BN chief following the coalition’s disastrous showing in the state during the 2013 general election. He was previously its deputy chief.
He was also the agriculture and agro-based industry minister until the election, and prior to that had served as the entrepreneur and co-operative development minister.
Yesterday, he made his comeback to the cabinet as the urban wellbeing, housing and local government, replacing Abdul Rahman Dahlan who would now head the Economic Planning Unit.
Following his appointment, Noh pledged to recapture Selangor from the federal opposition. - Mkini
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