No reshuffle doesn't mean you're secure, Kadir Jasin tells ministers

PETALING JAYA: Tun Dr Mahathir Mohamad's insistence that there would be no cabinet reshuffle, and that power would be transferred to Datuk Seri Anwar Ibrahim was no excuse for ministers to feel secure and to continue with their "moribund ways", says Datuk A. Kadir Jasin.

“Maybe this is the Prime Minister’s way of saying you chaps better shape up or get shipped out when l am no longer around to defend you, " he wrote in his blog.

Kadir also touched on the recent sex video scandal.

“So, any minister who feels the uncontrollable urge to act in a movie or video clip, please make sure that it is G-rated, ” he said in a blog post titled "Sandakan Video Has Become Creature of the Netherworld" on Thursday (Aug 1).

Referring to the video that that entangled Economic Affairs Minister Datuk Seri Azmin Ali, Kadir said the video seemed to have assumed a life of its own following scores of YouTube uploads.

He said that it had spilled into the larger political arena, with Azmin now supporting the call for Dr Mahathir to stay as Prime Minister for the full term, whilst Anwar assured that Pakatan Harapan remained strong.

“Neither Abdul Hadi (of PAS) nor Azmin is a great fan of Anwar. For the Umno-Pas combine, breaking up Pakatan Harapan is a key objective.

“The scandalous video is now a living, breathing creature of the netherworld of conspiratorial politics, ” said Kadir, who is special adviser on media and communication to Dr Mahathir.

He said the video would probably haunt its players, irrespective of whether they were confessors, deniers or plotters, for the rest of their lives.

He said the rest had several choices.

“Number one is to be part of the unholy. Number two is to ignore them if we are not bothered by their eerie cries. Number three is to exorcise ourselves of their haunting.

“I choose the latter – exorcising myself, ” he said.

According to Kadir, there were more pressing issues in the country – the hardship of Felda settlers, fishermen, padi farmers, rubber tappers and Felcra smallholders.

“Let us address the concerns of the business people, like the petroleum industry players who are waiting for the resolution of the petroleum royalty demanded by Sabah and Sarawak.

“Let us give a boost to the new shared prosperity economic agenda, the Visit Malaysia Year 2020 campaign and the resolution of government debt, ” he said. - Star