WHAT does it take to be a well-respected leader, particularly a political leader? Honesty, integrity, responsibility and perhaps even punctuality. Not many get to tick all boxes but some get close, such as Prime Minister Dr Mahathir Mohamad.

Others have to try even harder now, especially when the standard has been set by the 94-year-old prime minister with a punishing schedule of government and political events.

Take for example PKR deputy president Mohamed Azmin Ali, seen as a model politician who did a good job as Selangor menteri besar that he was re-appointed to the post after the 2018 general elections, but Dr Mahathir believed he would do better as the Economic Affairs Minister.

Perhaps he is better at such government posts, but he appears to have been a bit sluggish as the PKR No 2, skipping monthly meetings since last November and even a recent party retreat.

Could it be due to his ministerial duties? Azmin alluded as much when he asked why attention was only directed at him for absence from the PKR leadership council meeting (MPP) yesterday.

“There are party programmes that I attend if I don’t have government duties. If I (require leave) I will inform (the party). This is a normal process. Why am I targeted?” Azmin was quoted as saying by the Malaysiakini news portal.

“I had duties. We as government leaders have a responsibility to the government and the party.

“We need to carry out our mandate together. Sometimes, there are government duties we need to perform. That is our responsibility,” he said without mentioning the duties that prevented him from attending party meetings.

The leadership council meets once a month, with the dates fixed in the calendar.

A few other MPP members have also been tardy but the spotlight has been on Azmin since middle of June when he was alleged to be one of two men in a gay video clip.

Azmin has denied the allegation, saying it was a plot to unseat him.

The police said the video clip distributed through the Whatsapp chat program was genuine but facial analysis was not able to identify either of the men.

However, a sacked PKR youth leader, Haziq Abdullah Abdul Aziz, has confessed to being one of the men in the clip, and at the same time accusing Azmin of being his partner.

Perhaps Azmin is hurt that there are those in the party who want him out of power after failing to oust him in the recent party polls.

However, he has to carry out his responsibilities to the party, especially the members who have kept him in power.

The reality is Azmin is now a minister because of his party position and support from its members. It does no good for him to skip most of his party meetings to just focus on government duties.

Dr Mahathir can do both. Deputy Prime Minister Dr Wan Azizah Wan Ismail does both, as do Finance Minister Lim Guan Eng and Defence Minister Mohamad Sabu – all of whom are party leaders in their own right.

Azmin needs to show he is a leader for all, not just a pen-pusher in Putrajaya.

Malaysia does not need this distraction about plots to unseat him and his rather apparent tantrum because it can turn out to be too much of a disruption for the government of the day.

Malaysia needs grown-ups to run the country – those who can man up to their responsibilities and pledges, not those who sulk away. – July 29, 2019.