CONGRATULATIONS Anwar Ibrahim on your appointment as the 10th prime minister.

Many won’t envy you in these trying times, with the outlook on world economy weakening next year, coupled with the challenge of leading a unity government for the first time

It requires not only political maturity but also political emotional maturity.

You will be staring at a myriad of things that require your urgent attention but there are also many options to tackle it.

Noticeably, the urgent things are the pledges in the manifestos. From my perspective, the urgent issues are economy, cost of living and unity.

On the economy and cost of living, we are not short of experts as evident from the list of distinguished guests at Astro Awani. We need a team of honest captains of industry, economic experts and consumer groups led by Bank Negara Malaysia to tackle issues and not by politicians.

Since there will be two deputy PMs, and for effectiveness, one should handle unity and justice for all and the other, welfare of Sabah and Sarawak and parliamentary reforms. 

After more than 60 years of independence, we are still stuck with unity issues, made worse with social media exacerbating political polarisation on hot-button issues. 

Political leaders should not be defiant and succumb to the populist pull of their supporters, for unity is foremost in bringing us to greater heights.

We need to have community forums and workshops between both sides that is constructive and not dominated by extreme voices. Support from mainstream media is imperative.

What next after producing good policies? Effective leadership is needed at all levels of the system for policy implementation to reshape mandates, resources, structures and programmes.

A lot has been said about vision building and initiative taking but what is lacking is empowerment, staff development, monitoring and problem-solving skills. Bosses must accept and respect suggestions from junior staff. All levels must be treated with importance.

Get feedback from the public through suggestion boxes and act accordingly. Press secretaries more vigilant in detecting complaints in the media. 

Staff training and development is important because it is not a pleasant sight when the newly appointed PM could not stick his name tag just after clocking in for duty on his first day at Putrajaya. Attention to detail is important. I just read that technical personnel in the Malaysian aviation industry lack the required training, particularly in engineering.

The chief secretary to the government can do his part in re-looking the structure in the administrative service. There seems to be duplications and overlaps and many tiers/levels, which hinder quick decision-making.

I have an issue since 2018 and the merry-go-round continues between ministries and departments without any solution.

The weakened confidence in the enforcement agencies and democratic processes should be given attention too. 

The Malaysian Anti-Corruption Commission, Securities Commission, Bukit Aman and of course the Attorney-General’s Chambers has to be impartial, without any conflicting agenda.

The integrity of some political parties and its processes, as seen in the last week with continuing U-turns, need to be revitalised for voters to have faith in their ability to deliver. The chance to be inclusive and unite for the sake of a stable government and a progressive Malaysia was put to the test and they failed miserably. We needed the Agong’s decree for them to toe the line.

You may want to prepare an agreement or a memorandum of understanding to ensure there will be no upheavals for the next five years, derailing our hopes for a better Malaysia.

All of the above entails far more than political will. It will require honesty, sincerity and of course, integrity from all parties.

On the selection of ministers, we leave it to you but we are watching.

I am very sure you are familiar with the Rabbani leadership model, which emphasises a relationship with divinity, humanity and human development.

What say you? – November 26, 2022.

* Saleh Mohammed 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.