BY LYNCH COWAN
KUCHING: The decision taken by Prime Minister Tun Dr Mahathir Mohamad in establishing the Economic Action Council has “implicit and explicit” goals.
Former journalist Datuk KadirA Jasin said the prime minister needed a special body to examine and make decisions on important and immediate concerns about the economy, finance and welfare of the people.
He said the implicit goal was that Dr Mahathir directly acknowledged that the existing machinery – the Cabinet – was inadequate to deal with these issues.
“We do not have to pretend to protect the feelings of anyone or any party,” he wrote on his personal blog.
He said the reality was that after more than eight months of governing the country, the Pakatan Harapan (PH) government has not been able to show the results that the people could see.
At the same time, he said the country’s economy and finances continued to be challenged by the legacy left behind by Barisan Nasional (BN) and now coupled with the ever-increasing international economic situation of the China-USA trade war.
According to a press release from the Prime Minister’s Department yesterday, the council, which is chaired by Mahathir himself, had four main objectives.
First is to boost and stimulate economic growth. Second is to ensure sustainable growth; third, ensuring equitable distribution of wealth and fourth, enhancing the well-being of the people.
“The council is set up in response and acting to the feedback from the people on the problems they faced, especially in the field of economy.
“It will also look into issues related to the cost of living, employment, poverty and home ownership,” the statement said.
On the people’s reaction, Kadir said there was no point to argue as more and more people were disappointed with the performance of the PH government, including towards members of the Cabinet and the civil service.
“I think many people know that the prime minister himself is not too happy or satisfied with the performance of the Cabinet members,” he added.
He said every time the prime minister met with the rakyat and journalists, he was asked about the incompetence of ministers and those ministers who rarely visited the rakyat, ministers who were fond of taking selfies with their own officers, ministers who were difficult to meet and ministers who did not speak the truth about their personal matters.
“I saw with my own eyes those ministers were greeted like a king by his own officers and escorted by police when they are going down to the ground, thus making it difficult for the rakyat to get near to them.
“If it is just to have lunch or dinner with your senior officials from the headquarters and being greeted, then there was no need for those ministers to go down to the rural areas or visiting Felda’s schemes,” he said.
Kadir advised those ministers visiting the rural areas, Felda and Felcra schemes or fishermen’s villages to sit down with the settlers, smallholders, fishermen and traders.
“Stop selfieing with your own officers and Facebook posting, Twitter and Instagram on petty things. If possible or if you are brave, please stop your wife and children from posting your photographs and luxury vacation stories to the Alps, boarding private jets or flying first class to Monte Carlo.
“Remember that it was the social media that helped PH’s victory in the last general election and it can also put down PH if their ministers, chief ministers and deputy ministers do indecent, inefficient and unfriendly to the people,” said Kadir.
He added that it was extremely irresponsible and superficial to expect the prime minister to resolve and clear all “defilements” made by ministers, chief ministers and deputy ministers.
“Always go back to your constituency and state and reduce the habits of not going to your area so that you wouldn’t be accused of being lazy.
“Remember that with the social media, the rakyat is becoming the “reporters”. If the prime minister is always with the people, Cabinet ministers can certainly do the same,” he said.
According to the JPM statement, the appointment took effect immediately while the Implementation Coordination Unit in the Prime Minister’s Department would act as secretariat.
From the people’s point of view whether the PH government passes or fails will be based on
how the government manage the issue of security, cost of living and job.
“I’m sorry to say that I said it is useless to talk so highly if the basic things like price and food, unemployment, transportation, education, health and housing are not better dealt with than the previous government.
“The people have felt the government change. They will change the government if their expectations are not met,” he said.
Economic Action Council chart
Tun Dr Mahathir Mohamad – Chairman
Datuk Seri Azmin Ali – Minister of Economic Affairs
Lim Guan Eng – Minister of Finance
Datuk Ignatius Darell Leiking – Minister of International Trade and Industry
Baru Bian – Minister of Works
Dr Muhammed Abdul Khalid – Prime Minister’s Economic Advisor
Tan Sri Rafidah Aziz – Former Minister of International Trade and Industry
Tan Sri Zeti Akhtar Aziz – Chairman of Permodalan Nasional Berhad
Professor DrJomo Kwame Sundaram – Member of the Government Advisory Council (CEP)
Tan Sri Tay Ah Lek – Managing Director of Public Bank
Dr Hasnita Hashim – Chairman of the Majlis Amanah Rakyat
Datuk Shireen Ann Zaharah Muhiudeen – Chairman of Bursa Malaysia
Tan Sri Dr Mohd Munir Abdul Majid – Chairman of Asean Business Advisory Council, Malaysia
Datuk Dr Paul Selvaraj – Chief Executive Officer of the Federation of Malaysian Consumer Associations (Fomca)
Bah Tony @ Amani William Hunt Abdullah – Lawyers
NizamMahshar – Member of Board of Trustees, Malaysian Future Institute (Time).
