Appraisal welcome, but look at bigger picture, minister tells Rafizi

Redzuan Yusof says Dr Mahathir Mohamad is faced with a mammoth ‘clean-up task’ on all fronts.

PETALING JAYA: A member of Dr Mahathir Mohamad’s Cabinet says it is not unusual for a government to suffer a drop in popularity ratings during an economic downturn, especially after sky-high ratings post being elected.

PPBM’s Redzuan Yusof, who is also the minister for entrepreneur development, said as such, a survey cited by PKR’s former Pandan MP Rafizi Ramli, where he said the prime minister’s ratings dropped by 20% in the six months after winning the May polls, was not an indicator that the Pakatan Harapan government has failed.

Redzuan said it was public knowledge that Mahathir was faced with a “mammoth clean-up task”, adding that it was not only about the economy but also on the political and social fronts.

He said Mahathir was known to be a leader who has no qualms of taking “unpopular measures” for the good of the country, as seen during the financial crisis of the late nineties when he drew worldwide condemnation.

“You can’t please everyone,” Redzuan told FMT, when asked for his response on increasing criticism from the public over the government’s handling of issues.

“Many people are unhappy and this is understandable as expectations are high as to what the government can do. Changes cannot be done overnight,” he said.

He said among problems faced by Mahathir are the continuing “headaches” posed by high national debts incurred by the previous administration, internal bickering within ruling parties and polarisation such as the one seen in the Seafield Hindu temple and ICERD controversies.

He said ministers in the Cabinet were now tasked with not only “fixing” the weaknesses of the past, but facing the challenges of creating value in many spheres of governance.

Last week, Rafizi warned PH of a waning post-election euphoria, saying the goodwill for the ruling coalition was running out fast.

“After a while, it is no longer enough to charge former government leaders with cases of corruption, because so long as there is no marked improvement (concerning economic livelihood) on the ground, the restlessness will continue,” he wrote in a lengthy article.

Redzuan said while he welcomed Rafizi’s appraisal, there was a need to look at the bigger picture, especially for Rafizi who represents a key party in the PH coalition.

“Rafizi is a smart person, but he should help PH govern the nation for the better, instead of running us down,” he said.

Redzuan reminded Rafizi that a leader’s approval rating is high when the country is doing well economically.

“You need to look at where Tun Mahathir is starting from. He is picking up the pieces, so you need to give him time,” he said. - FMT