SOCIAL media has been abuzz in the wake of a spat between Youth and Sports Minister Syed Saddiq Syed Abdul Rahman and Foodpanda.

While it began innocently enough with our youth and sports minister meeting with Foodpanda “partners” who were protesting over a new payment scheme, after hearing out their concerns and supposedly bringing them up to a cabinet meeting, he released a statement urging the company to “reinstate the original payment scheme to ensure the welfare of the riders”.

He also mentioned that the Youth and Sports Ministry, the Human Resources Ministry and the Domestic Trade and Consumer Affairs Ministry has formed a special committee to delve deeper into the issue of gig economy.

The latter represents a good step in the right direction – although I am still uncertain over what policy expertise that the Youth and Sports Ministry can bring to the table, not only for this issue but also for their joint committee with the Transport Ministry over GoJek’s green-light for motorcycle ride-sharing operations in the country.

The government should take every step to catch-up and understand the gig economy given how prevalent it has become in the lives of everyday Malaysians.

My concern is how Syed Saddiq seems insistent on acting as a hero on these complex issues, with limited understanding of the factors that influence them.

I was certainly not surprised when it was reported earlier this morning that Prime Minister Dr Mahathir distanced himself from Syed Saddiq’s comments when it was revealed that Foodpanda would be continuing with its new payment scheme.

I am referring to Syed Saddiq’s tweet that said consumers should take down arrogant corporations just as they can vote out elected representatives.

Make no mistake, what is happening here is Syed Saddiq instigating and encouraging a witch-hunt against a private company who was well within their rights to practice their business decisions independently.

Whether Foodpanda’s actions are right or wrong, the government should not be interfering with commercial business decisions.

These series of events have set a clear precedent for the Pakatan Harapan (PH) government when it comes to doing business in Malaysia.

The arithmetic is clear, you can do business here, so long as you keep your skeletons in your closet and do not compromise PH’s political chances.

However, what we are seeing here is the other side of the coin when it comes to Syed Saddiq’s habit of bringing corporate interests to Malaysia’s highest seat of power – be it Hausboom or Gojek.

The truth of the matter is, it is not Foodpanda’s responsibility to provide jobs for Malaysians – nor did they ever lobby to do so as GoJek did.

Some may argue that Syed Saddiq did the right thing by putting pressure on Foodpanda’s decisions that may disadvantage a vulnerable segment of our society – but question remains where he will draw the line.

Can we trust him to always do the “right” thing? How about GoJek? They after all encountered the same response with its contractors in Indonesia when it adjusted its incentive changes in late July this year.

Given his track record – Syed Saddiq has to prove that he will not treat his corporate partners like how his mentor Dr Mahathir treated his. Take a look at the cost incurred by the public for the benefit of companies such as Proton and Astro.

Perhaps he could start a movement against the latter and finally secure the free EPL rights as promised in his youth election manifesto.

Pushing for direct intervention not only undermines business trust in the government (which is counter-productive to the efforts made by Dr Mahathir in attracting foreign investment) but also politically exploitative to say the least.

If the government is truly sincere in protecting the workers, the long-term solution should be to create policies that are equitable for all parties.

This entire debacle seems entirely opportunistic and distracts the public from the real issues that our economy is facing.

We should not solely focus on the gig economy as if those are the only jobs that our youth should see as a source of income.

Where is the rise in the minimum wage? Where is the fairer PTPTN repayment scheme? Where are the social safety nets? What about the 1 million jobs promised for the youth?

Fulfilling and resolving these issues are more in line with what voters expected the PH government to do rather than selectively targeting companies that were at the wrong place at the wrong time.

More importantly, it is high time that Dr Mahathir keeps his cabinet in line. There should be clear lines of jurisdiction between ministries – and they should start cooperating with one another instead of selectively addressing issues whenever there is an opportunity for political gain.

Perhaps it is time to listen to the comments made by Mohd Redzuan Yusof, the entrepreneur development minister from Bersatu (who remained remarkably silent on this issue) in February that we should “stop politicking” and start acting like a government.

Encouraging economic pressure onto individual companies only serves to hide your inability to get things done.

We don’t need you to be a hero, Syed Saddiq. We just need you to deliver your promises. – October 8, 2019.

* Imran Manap 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.