The deteriorating performance of the Madani government

 

From P Ramasamy

The Madani or unity government of Prime Minister Anwar Ibrahim will be marking its first anniversary in power tomorrow.

Opinion polls conducted by the Merdeka Center paint a picture of a government that has declined in popularity.

Compared to the earlier months, about 30% of the pollsters suggest that the government is heading in the right direction, while the majority think the government is directionless.

Of course, some say it is too early to judge the performance of Anwar or his government.

But there are indications that something is seriously wrong with the government, and there is no need to wait for a full one term to provide judgment.

It might be just too late.

What is most glaring is the gap between what was promised when Pakatan Harapan was in the opposition, and when they are in the government now.

The promise to remove obnoxious laws such as the Sedition Act 1948 and the Security Offences (Special Measures) Act 2012 (Sosma) remains unfulfilled.

The worst part is that there are those in the government justifying the use of these draconian legislations as necessary for security reasons.

As long as these legislations continue to exist, and are enforced, there is little or no hope for reforms in the government.

Anwar was his level best when he was in the opposition, but today, he might not be better than the former prime ministers.

He spends more time outside the country, as though taking up the Palestinian issue would miraculously resolve economic and social problems in the country.

Anwar should have relinquished hold of the finance minister portfolio some time ago.

It is too much to hold two posts of such high responsibilities. One need not be a trained economist or financial expert to manage the economy.

But if Anwar can’t even give intelligent answers to questions posed on the economy, then what is the point of holding on to the position?

Strangely, when journalists ask him questions about the economy, he would talk about his years in prison and how he met some of the world leaders.

Anwar can talk about global issues, but he seems to have no answers to domestic matters such as the weakened ringgit, food shortage, the horrific nature of the public transport system, and many other unresolved issues affecting the poor and the neglected.

He lacks the basic stature of a statesman to look at the country beyond the racial and religious lens.

While he might not have the support of the Malays, it doesn’t mean that he should completely neglect the pressing issues of the non-Malays.

The one-sided nature of employment in the public sector and the discrimination of non-Malays in public universities and the matriculation system have raised questions not just about the fairness of the political system, but about Malaysia’s seriousness in preparing students for taking careers in science and technology.

How can the government be regarded as fair and responsible when non-Malay citizens are not respected as full-fledged citizens of the country?

What is the point of talking internationally about affirmative action for all, immaterial of race or religion, when affirmative action is only applied to one particular race on the basis of some criteria?

The ministers in the Madani government are not up to the mark. They have forgotten what they have said in the past about reforms and the need for change.

Today, they are not different from ministers in the earlier governments. Some of them are not even capable of holding their posts as public accountability seems to be a rarity among them.

Earlier talk of a Cabinet reshuffle seems to have dissipated. Probably Anwar is so preoccupied with the fate of the Palestinians that he has no time to addressing domestic problems.

It is not that the Palestinian issue is not important, but until today, Anwar has not ventured to propose a solution to the decades of conflict between the Palestinians and the state of Israel.

While public opinion is gravitating towards a two-state solution as the ultimate answer to resolve the conflict, Anwar is tight-lipped about it.

Reforms were once a significant part of the PH coalition. But today, there are only murmurs of reforms.

The gutsy politics associated with the much-needed reforms seems to be a thing of the past.

As some say, it is more appropriate to talk about “reformati”, or in other words, the end of reforms.

Whether one pays attention to opinion polls or not, the Madani government is in trouble.

P Ramasamy is the former deputy chief minister of Penang.

The views expressed are those of the writer and do not necessarily reflect those of MMKtT.