Muhyiddin intends to walk the talk

New leader: Prime Minister Tan Sri Muhyiddin Yassin and his wife Puan Sri Noorainee Abdul Rahman leaving the palace after his swearing-in ceremony. - Filepic

By Joceline Tan

The Cabinet line-up may be known tomorrow and its composition will be a test of how serious the PM is about bringing in competent persons with integrity.

THERE have been so many fake Cabinet lists circulating the last one week, but the real one will be known this week, possibly as early as tomorrow.

It will be Tan Sri Muhyiddin Yassin’s first big step as Prime Minister, and he needs do the right thing or else it could be the start of the end for his fledgling government.

His Cabinet line-up will have to convince the nation that he is determined to address public concerns about corruption and inject greater integrity in his administration.

It is understood that he will announce his full line-up all at one go, rather than in phases like what happened after the 14th General Election.

The move will go a long way to show that he has things under control, and that the

hastily cobbled Perikatan Nasional (Perikatan) is more cohesive than what people think.

He has met with leaders of his coalition partners, the most recent being four nights ago to brief them on what he has done thus far, and what he intends to do in the coming days.

Muhyiddin has always been known as a tight-lipped politician, and he is keeping his Cabinet choices close to his chest.

He is said to be fine-tuning his Cabinet list before he seeks an audience with the King prior to making the announcement.

As such, this weekend will find many ambitious politicians having sleepless nights in anticipation of the big announcement.

Muhyiddin’s Cabinet, said a Perak politician, will recognise the support that each of his coalition partners brings to the table.

He will also respect the hierarchy of each party on condition that they are not saddled with court charges or carry too much baggage.

“My guess is that he would want to strengthen his party with portfolios like finance, home affairs, rural development or even the deputy premiership, ” said this particular politician.

Muhyiddin’s years in government also means he understands what the deep state is all about.

“In every ministry he has led, he knows how to manage the government servants, he respects the rules of the civil service, and they respect him for that, ” said the Perak politician.

The new Prime Minister has been portrayed as being at the mercy of his partners Umno and PAS. It could not be further from the truth.

Muhyiddin is no greenhorn. He has been in politics since the 1980s, and is coming in with vast experience.

He is only the second prime minister since Datuk Seri Najib Razak to have been a mentri besar. It is an invaluable experience where leaders build their base.

He has worked under three prime ministers, he has watched how they overcame challenges or fell from grace, all of which were lessons on what to do and not do as Prime Minister.

His appointment of former Federal Court judge Tan Sri Idrus Harun as the new Attorney General (AG) is a hint of how he works – calculated and without much fanfare. It caught everyone by surprise and was a good first move.

Not many are aware that Muhyiddin has a mind of his own. He is not easily influenced nor is he the type to be pushed around.

Muhyiddin’s maiden speech as Prime Minister suggested that he has been listening closely to the ground. He knew that people out there are concerned about corruption, the economy, cost of living and education of their children.

What he heard also convinced him that the Malay ground had grown so hostile towards DAP that Pakatan would be a one-term government.

That was why he decided to pull Bersatu out of Pakatan together with MPs aligned to Datuk Seri Azmin Ali.

There has also been a great deal of misinformation about Muhyiddin’s would-be Cabinet, with detractors claiming he would bring Datuk Seri Dr Ahmad Zahid Hamidi and Najib into the government.

Actually, his relationship with Najib remains icy, and he is firm about not interfering in the court cases involving Najib or Ahmad Zahid.

Ahmad Zahid has told people he wants to fight his case in court, but the loyal circle around him took to social media, making veiled threats about Umno withdrawing support if their boss was not given a post.

But Muhyiddin stood his ground and informed Ahmad Zahid that he has to clear his name in court.

The new AG, unlike his predecessor, is not going to give politicians charged in court a free pass.

A senior Umno leader from Johor has also met Ahmad Zahid to urge him to give the Cabinet a miss.

A note penned by a former top judge has been circulating among Umno circles, saying that more Malays would abandon Umno if leaders charged with corruption are in the Cabinet.

PAS president Datuk Seri Hadi Awang has stood out as the only true gentleman. He has publicly stated that he is not interested in any Cabinet post and has also informed Muhyiddin about it.

He told party circles that he wants to stay out because he is aware that if he is part of Muhyiddin’s Cabinet, the non-Malays will make a huge issue of it.

Hadi has proposed the names of several professionals for the Prime Minister’s consideration.

“I am not going to speculate about the Cabinet, but I have confidence the PM will do the right thing. This is the opportunity for us to come out of the shadow of the two men who have dominated our politics for so long, ” said Khalid Jaffar, a political adviser to Azmin.

For decades, Malaysia’s politics had been defined by the rivalry between Tun Dr Mahathir Mohamad and Datuk Seri Anwar Ibrahim.

“It’s time for the country to move on, ” said Khalid.

In the meantime, there are moves by intermediaries behind the scenes to reconcile Dr Mahathir with Muhyiddin.

Dr Mahathir is probably waiting to see if Muhyiddin walks the talk when it comes to his Cabinet. Only then will the ice between them start to thaw.

So much is hanging on Muhyiddin’s Cabinet. He needs to get it right. - Star