AS we celebrate the first anniversary of Pakatan Harapan’s victory in the 14th general election, it is natural to ask: how well has the new government done?

Many Malaysians will say: They have done well under the trying circumstances, but they could have done much better.

Most Malaysians, including those in the cabinet, least expected PH to win GE14 anyway. That is why they drew up an ambitious manifesto, which they now find it difficult to fulfil on time.

The PH Government has been fighting against many odds

However, in all fairness the PH government did not realise the huge rot that had seeped into the administrative system. The challenges were inter alia:

1. The corruption and decay that was rife from top to bottom of government, that was sadly led by some of the top most leaders and officials.

2. The bias and consequent professional weakening in the civil and public services, caused by about 60 years of one political party’s dominance.

3. Blind loyalty to serve party politics, rather than following the time tested good values of the civil service. We used to faithfully served God, King and Country, with neutrality, intellectual integrity and a much deeper sense of honesty. Today it may be somewhat different.

4. The ministers in the past were also understandably, more experienced. They may have encouraged the growth of many little Napoleons, but they could control them. But today many of the little Napoleons are resisting the less experienced ministers. So, the new PH Ministers have now to bring them under stronger control.

5. Cronies were pervasive before, and their negative influences on the administration have to be more strongly resisted, to reduce the rot. That is why the destructive practice of money politics has to be severely controlled soon.

As the prime minister repeated many times, the government is now facing many challenges to move forward. But as a former senior civil servant, I know that with the right persuasions and more dignified treatment of the civil service, the government can overcome any obstacle.

But what the government has achieved has to be better publicised. It would be useful if there are public reports every one to three months on government accomplishments.

Let’s give PH another year to overcome the poor public ratings

For the above reasons, it is only fair and reasonable to give PH at least another year. This will  help win much more public and voter support for the PH government.

A recent Merdeka Centre survey showed that the government’s popularity has been declining.

This poor rating could be due to:

1. The inadequate consultations with the public and the opposition over efforts like the ratification of the Rome Statute and other international conventions. Some ministries have been criticised for not taking the public and professionals into greater confidence before introducing important policies.

2. On the other hand, some policies have to be implemented with greater courage and conviction. The public has to be assured that the truth about the alleged enforced disappearance of Malaysians. Fear is created and confidence suffers, by playing down the Suhakam report on this issue.

3. Foreign labour has been a source of concern for Malaysians. Large numbers of unemployed Malaysians suffer due to flip-flop policies. Can’t we come out with more sustainable policies and practices, to suit employers, employees  and foreign workers as well?

4. The minimum wage should be raised to RM1,500 earlier, rather than postponing decisions several times. Income disparities are widening and are causing much frustration to hard-working Malaysians. Unfortunately, the government gives the impression that it is anti-poor and more supportive of the rich capitalists. This is not right and builds up public resentment. This could lead to social unrest that will be difficult to control later. We need to have a minimum wage that is adequate.

5. The cost of living is high and rising. We have to introduce an anti-inflation package to lower the cost of living as soon as possible. The people keep asking how much the Government has done so far and why so little has been achieved to lower prices of basic goods and services. Can the supply of food be increased by more competition and less protection? Encouraging competition will help lower prices.

We can understand the severe challenges faced by the new government, after many years of mismanagement and corruption.

Hence, it may be too much to expect too much too soon. But where there is unfair resistance to transformation, the government has to be tough and forge ahead, especially when race, religion and royalty  issues  are exploited to protect vested interests. – May 6, 2019.

* Ramon Navaratnam is chairman of Asli Center of Public Policy Studies. He reads The Malaysian Insight.


 

* 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.