THE dust has settled. For better or worse, we have a new prime minister. As Pakatan Harapan (PH) chair Anwar Ibrahim rightly pointed out, the focus should be on saving the country from the pandemic and after that, on the general election.  

The first thing new Prime Minister Ismail Sabri Yaakob has to do is to stabilise the still-wobbly political scenario. The olive branch in the form of appointments to the National Recovery Council has been re-offered, and PH is expected to accept it.

However, true stability can only be achieved when the administration ceases to be vulnerable to threats of withdrawal of support. With only a margin of four votes, the tenure of the prime minister is by no means a solid bet.

A confidence and supply agreement can stave off the threat of an ouster but the deal should be fair and not merely not unconscionable.

For example, the previous administration’s offer to allow young people to vote, provide fair funding for opposition MP and acknowledge the role of the opposition Leader are things any decent sitting government would do. In fact, these are done by the state governments of Penang, Johor and Selangor.  

The pandemic needs a proper and clearly communicated management plan and exit strategy. Every decision should make sense to the lockdown-weary rakyat.  

Sufficient aid needs to be distributed, not merely “aid packages” costing amounts that look good on paper but fail to reach the demographic in need.

This will give the more than 700,000 workers who have lost their jobs and their families breathing space and dignity.

The opening of economic sectors should be uniform and weighed against the risks. It should be based on science and evidence instead of arbitrary numbers and whims.

If vaccinated patrons may take off their masks in order to eat in a restaurant, cinemas and gyms should also be allowed to operate under similar SOP. 

Race relations needs to be drastically improved. Polemics that divide need to be reduced.

As an active party member who has participated in such provocative discussions in the past, Ismail will hopefully moderate his firebrand politics now that the weight of office is bearing down. Malaysians have seen enough of emotive outbursts that threaten our pluralist society, all for the sake of political gain.

Umno and Bersatu will likely co-exist and tolerate each other in this government with a view of building their respective brands before the next general election.

As such, it would be prudent to place their strongest technocrats in lieu of warlord politicians to make up the bulk of political appointments.

Fumbling errors should be avoided by any party, especially one that may still have its voter base feeling a bit sore with it over its politicking that has spilled over rather messily to affect 31 million people, including the royal households.

A competent and trim cabinet and qualified appointees to head the government-linked companies will help to mollify a citizenry angered by the frequent SOP revisions, double standards, tone-deaf and tactless statements of elected officials and general gross incompetence of the previous administration.

The prime minister has a chance to prove his detractors wrong and that that his administration is not merely old wine poured into new skin.

The government has two years or less to get the country on track to recovery, to stabilise it and minimise losses of lives and livelihoods as the pandemic nears its second year . It has no time for more political manoeuvres, alliance building or schemes of political ambition.  

Instead it should be a government on crisis footing, geared towards saving the country above all else as it repeatedly claims itself to be. – August 25, 2021.

* 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.