THE recent boo-boos of ministers, occurring one after another, have put the spotlight on cabinet appointments.

Ministers and deputy ministers are constitutionally appointed by the Yang di-Pertuan Agong on the advice of the prime minister. Arguably this should be the first advice of a prime minster after his own appointment by the Agong.

But how are the ministers chosen?

There might be ministers who would like to believe that they were chosen based on ability and suitability and were not being rewarded for their loyalty and alliance.

Is that so?

Cabinet appointment is a key part of any prime minister’s power. According to the United Kingdom’s Institute for Government, cabinet members are chosen for a range of reasons – as a reward, to build allies, to signal a shift in policy or, sometimes, on assessment of objective performance.

Appointments to the cabinet are “usually highly political acts” that are “rarely based on objective assessment of performance” and “don’t usually take into account an individual’s skills, interests or likely fit with the rest of the team”.

These are tough political decisions to make but are easily contrasted with decisions made in the corporate world. Michael Moore, who was the UK secretary of state for Scotland from 2010 to 2013 explained:

“You are never going to strip out the reality that politics plays the biggest part… you will get ministers who will be regarded as under-performing but can’t be sacked. You will get others who do brilliantly but, because they don’t have political weight in the party, they can go.”

And unlike in the corporate world, appointments to the cabinet “do not involve job interviews.” Some ministers may get to see the prime minister prior to their appointment; some have no idea their appointment is coming .

So the appointments to the cabinet of the 8th prime minister are simply a reflection of political realities – a way to reward loyalty as well as to assert authority.

Which is why it was not surprising that several Umno leaders, dissatisfied with the distribution of cabinet posts, had even called for parliament to be dissolved for snap polls. 

Party veterans, one after another, had also joined the chorus of criticism with the assertion that Umno as a Perikatan Nasional component was no mere passenger in the coalition.

Umno deputy president Mohamad Hasan had lamented that the party, despite having the largest bloc of MPs, had been “unfairly” sidelined (read: had not been rewarded).

Not one easily moved, the prime minister has nevertheless stuck by his choices of ministers and deputy ministers, believing the cabinet is one that “can provide the best service to the people, a cabinet that delivers.”

If so, there is no better time to deliver than during this time of crisis. No more boo-boos.

Yes, ministers. ’Tis the time to deliver – whether your appointment was a reward or merited.

* Hafiz Hassan reads The Malaysian Insight.