THEY say the road to hell is paved with good intentions.

Less than a week after his resignation, it would seem that former education minister Maszlee Malik had plenty of good intentions.

Sadly, in the 20 months of his tenure, the results of his strategies and programmes had been either insufficient or poorly shared, resulting in him being depicted as an inept, bumbling minster more interested in promoting Islamic ideals rather than solving actual issues that have long plagued our education system.

Like eulogies after a person’s death, tributes started pouring in for Maszlee by the same media that was blamed by his supporters for helping form his image as a hapless, incapable leader. Even his detractors had nice things to say.

A lot of his initiatives came to light only after he quit, too.

There were those that suddenly didn’t sound quite so stupid, with parents’ groups and teachers sharing their take on the rationale behind them – views that would’ve been nice to hear and read about when the very same initiatives were being hotly debated.

The post-resignation chatter included brickbats on Maszlee’s lack of media-savviness and his office’s missteps in handling the journalists who had contributed, at least in part, to the widely held portrayal of the former cabinet member. The blunders happened in the early days of Maszlee taking office, which made it difficult to move beyond them. The public was fixated on these mistakes rather than his accomplishments or vision.

So is the fault on the part of Maszlee, his office or the public? The blame isn’t completely on just one party. Rather, there was an unfortunate mesh of circumstances and reactions.

This entire cock-up should serve as a warning to other ministers.

Public perception carries a lot of weight in politics. Communication is important in shaping this perception and the proper narrative. People are key to ensuring the correct communication goes out at all times.

“Stupid” comments are difficult to forget, and a series of them makes it harder still. After a certain number of such remarks, a minister may be irreversibly perceived as hopeless, with even their best ideas swiftly dismissed.

Some ministers have quickly realised this, and assembled a strong team to promote their initiatives and bolster their public image. Those yet to employ this strategy should waste no time doing so, as there is already talk about cabinet members who “deserve” the axe more than Maszlee.

It is also a lesson for detractors that being fair in giving criticism and seeking the bigger picture are important, especially for those claiming to speak on behalf of or have influence over public interest groups.

As much as the media might dislike a person, it has a duty to present the proper context. It can’t play to the gallery just to increase readership.

Perhaps the biggest lesson is for the public, for us to consider things more carefully before writing someone off.

It isn’t easy to live up to ever-changing public needs, more so when the people’s expectations of this government are rather high. But ministers took the job willingly, with their eyes wide open. – January 8, 2020.

* Emmanuel Joseph firmly believes that Klang is the best place on Earth, and that motivated people can do far more good than any leader with motive.

* This is the opinion of the writer or publication and does not necessarily represent the views of The Malaysian Insight. Article may be edited for brevity and clarity.