PRIME Minister Ismail Sabri Yaacob must be so inept that he needs three special advisers to assist him in administering the country.

The three special advisers will be paid a total of RM150,000, each getting RM50,000 a month.

I have no complaints if the funds are coming from Ismail’s pockets. Unfortunately, the come from government funds contributed by taxpayers.

Having four special envoys was bad enough, now we have the three special advisers.

What special appointments are in the offing are not known for the time being.

The power of patronage is such that the creation of special positions seems to be an indelible part of the present system based on an “I scratch your back, you scratch mine” basis.

The four special envoys created earlier, with ministerial salaries and perks, will cost the government a hefty sum, which is, again, drawn from government funds contributed by taxpayers.

Apparently, the three special advisers are to advise the prime minister on matters of law, human rights and religion.

An additional special adviser is in the process of being appointed with a further imposition of financial burden.

I am not sure why Ismail, the originator of the Malaysian Family concept, would want three advisers.

Why are these appointments so crucial that Ismail has to give them priority?

What is so special about these advisers, and what are their special expertise.

Surely, given the bloated cabinet, Ismail could get advice and input from his ministers if not from the heads of the various departments in the country’s civil service.

Appointing special envoys and advisers doesn’t seem to go with Ismail’s idea of Malaysia as one family.

Surely, for the Malaysian family to survive and prosper, financial burden must be lessened.

The appointment of these special advisers without superior credentials will be, instead, a burden to the taxpayers.

Upon being appointed prime minister, Ismail wanted to start his tenure with a big bang.

Somebody must have advised him to use the family concept, which is hardly appropriate to heal the deep-seated divisions created by none other than his own party Umno and its allies.

Definitely, the appointment of special envoys and advisers has nothing to do with the idea of Malaysia as one family.

Far from it.

Draining the coffers of taxpayers’ hard-earned money has nothing to with promoting the family concept.

On the contrary, it drains the family of its resources

Ismail is a typical Umno politician who believes in the patronage game.

Such appointments are not meant for securing valuable advice, but rewarding those who are loyal to him.

What the country needs is a total revamp, not a process of muddling through with the appointment of special advisers.

Maybe Ismail wants to elaborate why he is appointing them and in what ways they will contribute to the nation.

There is no need to arrive at a situation where Ismail will have to hire another batch of special advisers to advise the already appointed ones.

I am not sure whether Ismail is a lame duck prime minister. He certainly looks like one.

He seems not competent enough to manage the affairs of the country.

I am not sure how the advisors are going to save his administration from sinking into a quagmire of inefficiency and mismanagement. – December 3, 2021.

*P. Ramasamy is Penang Deputy Chief Minister II.

* 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.