Malaysian Prime Minister Datuk Seri Anwar Ibrahim’s decision to replace Umno deputy president Datuk Seri Mohamad Hasan as defence minister in his Cabinet reshuffle was a surprise, particularly as the person who takes over the role is Umno vice-president Datuk Seri Khaled Nordin.
Besides Khaled changing roles – he was previously Higher Education Minister – there are five new faces in Anwar’s Cabinet. They are Gobind Singh Deo (Digital), Datuk Seri Dzulkefly Ahmad (Health), Datuk Seri Johari Abdul Ghani (Plantation and Commodities), Datuk Seri Amir Hamzah Azizan (Finance Minister II) and Steven Sim (Human Resource).
Political analyst Associate Professor Dr Azeem Fazwan Ahmad Farouk said Mohamad’s “demotion” to Foreign Affairs minister could signal “something is happening in Umno”. “Don’t get me wrong. The Foreign Affairs Ministry is still an important position, but it is not a senior role, unlike the defence portfolio,” said Azeem, adding that there is more than meets the eye behind the move.
“I would have expected Tok Mat (Mohamad) (pix,below) to remain in defence or be moved to another ministry of equal importance. The Foreign Affairs (Ministry) is an ‘elitist’ ministry. He will not get much opportunity to speak to the grassroots, as he would have to spend time meeting diplomats and ambassadors. “I am surprised that Umno allowed this to happen… unless, of course, it is by design, to put Tok Mat in cold storage.”
Mohamad, who became defence minister a year ago, was recently accused of being involved in the Littoral Combat Ship scandal but denied any involvement in the deal as it happened before he took office.The allegations, which Mohamad described as “baseless”, surfaced in August. He added that it was an attempt to tarnish his reputation.
Azeem said that while Umno has no chance of making a comeback in the next general election, it still plays a vital role in Anwar’s so-called ‘unity government’. But not every member of the party is on board with the idea of working with Pakatan Harapan.
“There are strong undercurrents in Umno that are hard to read, but it is a well-known fact that many members are not happy working with Pakatan Harapan,” said Azeem, who pointed to the sacking of Umno Supreme Council member Isham Jalil on Dec 6 as an indication that the party leadership would not tolerate criticism.
Isham had been vocal about Umno’s leadership and blamed its president, Datuk Seri Ahmad Zahid Hamidi, for the party’s decline. Khaled had come out strongly for the decision to sack Isham, saying that the latter had “undermined Umno’s integrity”.
“And suddenly, Khaled has been rewarded with a senior government role, while the deputy president was moved to the Foreign Affairs Ministry,” said Azeem, director of the Centre for Policy Research, Universiti Sains Malaysia. “I will not be surprised if we see changes in the Umno leadership soon.”
Azeem, however, said that since Anwar had shuffled his deck, the people should give him time to implement his ideas.
“He spent a year appeasing the many parties in his grand coalition – or unity government as some called it – but the real work starts now,” said Azeem. “As I mentioned before, Anwar’s problem is that his party is weak, as it does not have many seats in Parliament.
“He had to be careful with his decisions. I feel he has made some cosmetic changes to the line-up, although he has brought in some good people. So, I hope it works out.”
Asked his thoughts on Sultan Ibrahim Iskandar’s interview with a Singapore newspaper, in which the Johor ruler said that he wanted to play a bigger role when he becomes Malaysia’s 17th Yang di-Pertuan Agong next month, Azeem replied: “I do not think the move (the Cabinet reshuffle) was in response to Tuanku’s comments. “The reshuffle was a long time coming, and it was a coincidence that it happened after our future king’s comments.” - Graig Nunis
Kerennge banyak dok kacau...
Aku diberitahu dah ada bisikan syaitan menghasut soal rombakan kabinet. Kononnya Timbalan Presiden UMNO, Mohamad Hasan, sedang dilemahkan oleh DS Anwar dan Zahid Hamidi dengan meletaknya sebagai Menteri Luar. Tapi bagi aku, ia sebenarnya memperkuatkan Tok Mat, bukan melemahkan. Aku nampak ini sebagai satu cara untuk menjadikan Tok Mat lebih dikenali di peringkat antarabangsa, sebagai persediaan untuk dia menjadi pemimpin utama.
Takkan nak jadi seperti Mahiaddin? Tak siapa kenal di peringkat antarabangsa. Sampaikan lepas dia jadi PM, terpaksa dia pula yang telefon pemimpin negara lain untuk perkenalkan diri. Sebab orang pemimpin luar tak peduli dia pun.
Atau pun jadi seorang pemimpin yang cuma dikenali di negara Syiah? Tehran bebas la nak keluar masuk tapi nak ke Arab Saudi tak lepas. Manakala negara pelabur tak kenal langsung. Jika begitu, siapa yang berani nak datang melabur?
Tapi DS Anwar tak jadi Menteri Luar pun? Ya, sebab DS Anwar dah dikenali dari usia muda beliau lagi. 1970an tu zaman gerakan mahasiswa. Ketika itu memang ramai anak muda yang menonjol. DS Anwar adalah salah seorang daripadanya. Dan sebab itulah Mahathir berusaha keras menarik DS Anwar ke dalam UMNO ketika itu.
Hari ini peluang menonjol seperti itu sudah tak banyak lagi. Situasi sudah berbeza. Maka sebab itu peluang sebegini perlu dicipta. Yang menghasut tu bukan tak tahu tapi dah syaitan, apa lagi kerjanya kalau bukan merosakkan manusia?
Ini peluang Tok Mat untuk kukuhkan nama di persada antarabangsa. Mungkin, andainya kerjasama Kerajaan Perpaduan melangkaui PRU16, Tok Mat bakal jadi TPM. Maka dikenali di peringkat antarabangsa adalah satu bonus untuk Tok Mat. - Raja Gelap II
Israel bombed a centre for the disabled!!! This is complete disregard and
utter violation of Humanitarian and International laws by Israel.
Notice the silence from the International community.
These children are watching their father burn
and they can’t do anything!!
Israeli soldiers fire teargas at little girls in a Palestinian school.
Three young Palestinians were murdered by an Israeli air strike in Jenin,
Occupied West Bank today. This is a daily occurrence for Palestinians.
cheers.
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