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Saturday, December 03, 2022

Anwar’s hands tied by dealing with strange bedfellows, says expert




Anwar’s hands tied by dealing with strange bedfellows, says expert


In forming his government, Anwar Ibrahim has had to bring in parties he has long been at odds with, says an economist.


PETALING JAYA: In making his Cabinet appointments, Anwar Ibrahim’s hands may have been tied by having to deal with “strange bedfellows”, says anti-graft activist Edmund Terence Gomez.

Gomez reiterated his stance that it was not advisable for the prime minister to also be finance minister, especially from the point of good governance and the need to provide checks and balances, which Anwar has long advocated.

Terence Edmund Gomez.


The finance minister’s post could very well be more powerful than that of prime minister as the former controls the government’s coffers, said Gomez, a noted political economist.

“But let’s put it in perspective. The government that has been formed is one of strange bedfellows coming together on the King’s command after the hung Parliament,” said Gomez.

“Anwar is in a situation where he has had to bring in parties he has long been at odds with into an unity government.”

Anwar’s Cabinet is made of of MPs from Pakatan Harapan (15) through PKR, DAP, Amanah and Upko; Barisan Nasional (6) through Umno; Gabungan Parti Sarawak (5) through PBB, PRS and PDP; and Gabungan Rakyat Sabah (1) through Sabah Bersatu.

Patronage and the finance ministry

“Anwar would have recognised that by giving such a powerful ministry to someone outside of PKR, it may not have put him in good stead and could have worked against his push for good governance,” said Gomez.

He noted that finance ministers can use their patronage to channel contracts and dictate procurement projects, adding that they can also use their decision-making power to control the way in which contracts are given out.

Gomez said this was why it was key that Anwar said on Monday that the government’s procurement process will no longer be conducted without tenders in a bid to eliminate corruption and leakages.

On Guan Eng and Syed Saddiq

He said that while he was “not comfortable” with Zahid’s appointment as deputy prime minister, Gomez said it was key that two PH leaders who were facing corruption charges, DAP chairman Lim Guan Eng and Muda president Syed Sadiq Abdul Rahman, were left out of the Cabinet.

Last week, Anwar said he had not considered keeping the finance portfolio for himself when he was deciding on his Cabinet.

Anwar today said that while he did not want to take up the post, he wanted to “start new policy approaches and restore economic confidence” among local traders and foreign investors by helming the finance ministry.


5 comments:

  1. The majority wants Malay Supremacy, Islam Supremacy, non-Malays and non-Muslim "Must Know" their subservient status.
    The majority will get what they want, regardless which combination of parties are in power.
    Ironically, Anwar Ibrahim, along with Mahathir played a major part in laying the foundations of the current Majority mentality.

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  2. Sabar ye Ketuanan Cina. Sampai masa nanti pakar undersea tunnel akan dapat jawatan tu...

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  3. Frankly, we must recognise the difficulty Anwar faced in appointing his cabinet.

    However, Anwar really has to answer why he gave the MITI role to Tengku Zafrul, the former Finance Minister whom Anwar was not shy to deride on many occasions; even questioning his (Zafrul's) qualities as Finance Minister.

    It is also a personal insult to Dzulkifly Ahmad who defeated Zafrul at the polls. Dzulkifly and the voters must be asking, "I won with the rakyat's support, and my defeated opponent is rewarded?"

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    Replies
    1. posts are shared with 'unity' coalition, and allocated to BN - up to BN to fill in post, not Anwar's job

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    2. While that maybe so, it would, to me, be strange that as PM cannot over-ride an obvious wrong choice.

      If Anwar is hogtied at this stage, what can we expect in the future? As it is, he is seen as being without principles and a "controlled" PM

      Anwar will always have the sword of damocles hanging over his head which is bad for the country and for him personally.

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