PETALING JAYA: V Sivakumar was removed from Prime Minister Anwar Ibrahim’s reshuffled Cabinet following complaints over his performance as human resources minister and as a result of party politics, according to a DAP source.
Speaking on condition of anonymity, the source said Sivakumar’s “mistake” was failing to get rid of “incompetent” ministry officials appointed by previous administrations, which affected his reputation.
There were also complaints from backbenchers about his performance, said the source, who declined to provide details about these complaints.
According to the source, Sivakumar was not even on DAP’s shortlist for a ministerial post to begin with and this did not help his case.
“His appointment (as human resources minister) came as a surprise to many in DAP because we were told his name was not on the party’s shortlist.
“So, dropping Sivakumar and the appointment of Steven Sim as a full minister is actually in line with DAP’s original shortlist.”
On Tuesday, Anwar announced the appointment of Sim, the DAP organising secretary, as the new human resources minister. Sim was previously a deputy finance minister.
When contacted, Sivakumar said he could not comment on his inclusion in Anwar’s first Cabinet line-up as he never saw DAP’s shortlist.
Unsurprising change
Political analysts James Chin and Oh Ei Sun said Sivakumar’s removal was unsurprising because of the controversy surrounding the recruitment of foreign workers.
They were referring to a probe by the Malaysian Anti-Corruption Commission (MACC).
The probe saw the arrest and subsequent release of three of Sivakumar’s aides. Sivakumar sacked five of his aides in the aftermath of the investigation.
He was not a suspect in the probe and at the time, Anwar dismissed the need for him to go on garden leave.
Chin, who is with the University of Tasmania, also said Sim’s appointment as human resources minister was expected.
“Sim deserved to be promoted as he’s always been a good performer and, in fact, at one time he was viewed as a future Penang chief minister,” he said.
Oh, from the Singapore Institute of International Affairs, said Sim’s appointment as a full minister had set the stage for the Bukit Mertajam MP to take over Penang in the future. - FMT
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