ON Thursday, Budget 2021 will be put to a vote in the Dewan Rakyat. Whether the bill will be passed is not really my concern at all.

Former prime minister Dr Mahathir Mohamad has clarified that even if Budget 2021 is defeated, it doesn’t mean that civil servants will not be paid and our efforts to combat Covid-19 will come to an end.

What I am concerned about is what happens if the budget is defeated. By convention, Prime Minister Muhyiddin Yassin and his entire cabinet need to resign. The question is who is a suitable candidate to take over?

There are four leading contenders for the post, whether or not there’s snap elections, which should be avoided at all costs due to the Covid-19 pandemic.

They are Dr Mahathir, Najib Razak, Ahmad Zahid Hamidi and Anwar Ibrahim.

For all intents and purposes, none is suitable. Dr Mahathir has served twice as prime minister, the last stint leaving much to be desired, capping with his sudden, unforced resignation that threw Pakatan Harapan into turmoil resulting in its ouster from Putrajaya.

Najib is out of the question. The sixth prime minister’s shenanigans in the 1MDB saga are well documented and has made him an international political pariah. Besides, we can’t have a convict sentenced to 12 years’ jail running a country.

Likewise, Umno president Zahid faces a slew of graft charges. And his track record in the previous cabinet and inability to hold his party together make him a poor choice to lead a nation facing the twin threats of Covid-19 and economic uncertainty.

This leaves us only with Anwar. He could have been the man of the hour but his willingness to join forces with Najib and Zahid has demolished whatever credibility left of him. Worse, he’s known as a political chameleon.

What I am trying to say is that unless we change our political structure and culture, our choices for the prime minister are limited by the names mentioned above. We are stuck with Muhyiddin for better or worse.

This is why I feel that the young need to step up. The likes of Khairy Jamaluddin, Nurul Izzah Anwar and Syed Saddiq Syed Abdul Rahman need to start filling those big shoes. And they need to do it fast.

We need to start expanding our pool of potential top political office-bearers who are free from baggage and more in touch with the rapidly changing needs in a globalised world. – November 24, 2020.

* Mohd Firdaus Jamal 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.