LIM Guan Eng as finance minister isn’t just a reflective of the New Malaysia this week but a careful choice based on his track record in handling Penang’s economy since 2008.

Prime Minister Dr Mahathir Mohamad’s initial cabinet is needed to run a nation immediately and to cement the equity of all four parties in Pakatan Harapan that threw Barisan Nasional out of power on May 9.

His most controversial choice was Guan Eng as insiders said PKR had wanted the plum job for its economic czar, Rafizi Ramli, who did not run in GE14 due to his conviction in February for leaking financial information linked to the National Feedlot scandal.

The reality was simple for Dr Mahathir. He stuck to his choice as Guan Eng had run Penang well for two terms after winning the 2008 general elections. 

Penang Institute calculations released last year showed that the state gross domestic product per capita has been growing since 2009 to 2015, one year after the then Pakatan Rakyat government came to power.

Also in Guan Eng’s favour for the crucial post was his experience in working with civil servants. In his first term, Guan Eng had tremendous problems dealing with civil servants more familiar with Umno politicians.

He won some over, or he just undercut their passive resistance – a scene that was familiar in the four states that Pakatan Rakyat won in the 2008 polls. But he was never cowed.

Beyond that, Dr Mahathir wanted his first cabinet to send the right signals to Malaysia and the world markets, said insiders. 

“PKR offered Rafizi but his conviction under the Banking and Financial Institutions Act was seen as a bad choice. Also, he can’t be made a senator until his appeal against his conviction is successful,” said a source familiar with the deliberations that delayed the naming of the Mahathir cabinet.

“The point is simple really, Dr Mahathir had to choose the best among the Pakatan leaders for the job. He choose the best qualified,” the source added, when asked about Rafizi’s contention that the cabinet list had yet to be ratified by PKR. – May 13, 2018.