Commentary by Mustafa K. Anuar

AT a time when the economy is sluggish, the national coffers are depleting and the government has to borrow money to fight the Covid-19 pandemic and deal with the economic downturn, it is expected that every sen of public funds must be spent prudently and accounted for.

That is why it is not surprising that concerned Malaysians and civil society groups have objected to the proposed RM85.5 million allocation in Budget 2021 for the revived Jasa unit of the Communications and Multimedia Ministry.

At a personal level, this is like having the fancy of buying a very expensive branded handbag on a tight budget.

Jasa, or Special Affairs Department, which was shut down by the previous Pakatan Harapan government, used to be employed by the Barisan Nasional administration for the purposes of propaganda and sprucing up its image, especially after it was smudged by the humongous 1MDB scandal.

If the primary purpose of the Perikatan Nasional (PN) government to resuscitate Jasa is for it to indulge in such questionable activities as crafting disinformation and sugar-coated truths to the extent of creating fake news for public consumption, then such spending of huge amounts of public funds is wasteful and irresponsible.

The expansionary Budget 2021 obviously must put heavy emphasis on the general welfare of the people. That is why any attempt to put more money on, say, healthcare, such as more protective equipment, better remunerations for the frontliners, and new hospitals is most welcome.

Similarly, the people would expect that the money earmarked for Jasa would instead go towards, say, improving school facilities and providing financial and other forms of assistance to the marginalised groups, such as the Orang Asli and Orang Asal, as well as jobless disabled people.

More money should also be poured into the Malaysian Anti-Corruption Commission, given that corruption is still rampant, especially in the context where lots of money will be pumped into government projects as a way of boosting the economy.

It is understandable that the public image of Prime Minister Muhyiddin Yassin and his PN government necessitates a major repair from the perspective of the government after it has taken a heavy toll arising from the bloodless coup last February.

While a public relations exercise via Jasa may help burnish the public profile of Muhyiddin and his cabinet to some extent, it is no match to a conscious determination to run a government that is transparent and accountable in the long run.

Reviving Jasa may well be largely perceived as a desperate effort of an insecure government that lacks confidence, which in itself is counterproductive and self-damaging as far as its public standing is concerned.

If part of the roles of Jasa is to publicise government policies and development activities, as well as singing praises of the government, then the government can acquire, as it has always done, the services of the Information Department as well as other official media.

In an environment where a political pact (which swiftly morphed into a government) was born out of secret deals and transparency appears to be in short supply, it is difficult to be convinced by an argument that Jasa’s role is anything but propagandistic.

Genuinely listening and attending to the people’s anxiety and grievances and being attentive to democratic practices, justice and accountability go a long way towards building a public image of a caring government. You don’t need Jasa to do that. – November 9, 2020.