SOME call it a new Malaysia after Pakatan Harapan won the May 9 polls. With that victory under Dr Mahathir Mohamad, a fair number of familiar faces have returned to the spotlight.

Daim Zainuddin leads the council of eminent persons advising the government, together with former Bank Negara Malaysia governor Zeti Akhtar Aziz, former Petronas head honcho Hassan Marican, and a few others.

Now, those sidelined and overlooked or even those who spoke up against the Najib Razak administration seem to be rewarded with top posts, while those who had colluded with him are out or thrown in the Public Services Department pool.

A few names have been confirmed. The Malaysia Anti-Corruption Commission will see Shukri Abdull returning as its head. Former Special Branch deputy director Abdul Hamid Bador will return to take up the top post, while former Bank Negara Malaysia deputy governor Nor Shamsiah Mohd Yunus is likely to return as the new central bank chief.

There is also the possibility that Richard Malanjum, now chief judge of Sabah and Sarawak, could be the new Malaysia chief judge, while federal court judge Zainun Ali could be the appeals court president.

There is no shortage of Malaysians trying to parlay their rough treatment under the Najib regime into a promotion or moment in the limelight. A number have been cast aside, as their loyalty was suspect even though they were in the government.

But Dr Mahathir, Daim, and the advisory council must be wary of these lawyers, prosecutors, and businessmen who return to offer help and lead some of the agencies.

They are very much part of the decrepit system that PH wanted to demolish in the run-up to the general elections that threw out the Barisan Nasional government.

They may been against Najib, but they supported the patronage system put in place by Umno and were key players who subverted the rule of law and the independence of the judiciary with backroom deals.

Malaysians want the best for Malaysia, which is why they threw out the BN  government and put PH in Putrajaya.

Now they want to see an even better set of civil servants for this new Malaysia – not just familiar faces from the establishment. – May 21, 2018.