FMT:
Fadhlina vulnerable as Cabinet reshuffle looms
5 hours ago
Elill Easwaran
Analysts say the education minister is the most exposed, as calls grow for Prime Minister Anwar Ibrahim to strengthen his team with technocrats to take charge of the economy
Fadhlina Sidek has faced numerous calls to resign in the wake of several troubling school incidents, and may be replaced as education minister by Prime Minister Anwar Ibrahim, according to an analyst.
PETALING JAYA: Education minister Fadhlina Sidek appears the most vulnerable figure, as Prime Minister Anwar Ibrahim prepares to unveil his new Cabinet lineup, says political analyst Azmi Hassan of Akademi Nusantara.
Azmi said ministers from Pakatan Harapan are most at risk, as Anwar has greater discretion over their appointments.
In contrast, he noted, removing ministers from other parties would be difficult since they would want to “maintain their quota”.
“So, I would say that the most vulnerable is Fadhlina,” he told FMT.
“Maybe she’ll be swapped to another ministry. I think that would probably be the best thing for Anwar.”
Fadhlina, the Wanita PKR chief, has faced numerous calls to resign in the wake of several troubling incidents in schools involving murder, rape, and bullying.
She has acknowledged her weaknesses and said she considers the criticism as motivation for her to improve.
Azmi suggested that some ministers might perform better in different roles, arguing that Zambry Abdul Kadir would be better suited to the foreign ministry, while Mohamad Hasan could be reassigned to another portfolio.
He also suggested that Anwar consider bringing in non-partisan professionals to strengthen the government’s economic team, stressing the need for individuals with strong economic credentials.
“More technocrats should be brought in to win the public’s confidence.
“I think the most important thing is the economy, and Amir Hamzah (Azizan) is taking care of that.
“More professional individuals who are not tied to any political party or party agenda should be appointed as senators so that they can be promoted to ministers,” he said.
James Chin of the University of Tasmania expects the reshuffle to be more of a modest recalibration than a sweeping overhaul.
“(It) is not really a reshuffle. It’s about bringing new people in to fill the vacancies. If Anwar drops anyone, I think it will be deputy ministers, as some are already redundant,” he said.
He said promotions would not be based on performance alone since none of the ministers were doing a “particularly good job”.
Chin identified transport minister Loke Siew Fook as the only senior figure relatively free of controversies and said Fadhlina has long been seen as underperforming.
“But then again, education in Malaysia is very politicised. It’s very hard for anyone to make significant changes, especially with the rise of political Islam, so it’s a problematic portfolio,” he said.
He also pointed to the home ministry as a “difficult” portfolio due to various corruption allegations against the police, immigration and other enforcement agencies.
“But you can’t replace the minister as it’s a very strategic ministry that needs to remain in PKR’s hands, and it must be headed by someone Anwar trusts the most, Saifuddin Nasution Ismail,” he said.
The Prime Minister’s Office announced on Wednesday that a Cabinet reshuffle, Anwar’s second since assuming office in November 2022, will take place soon.
The Cabinet has four vacant posts – economy; natural resources and environment sustainability; entrepreneur development and cooperatives; and investment, trade and industry.
Finance minister II Amir Hamzah Azizan has taken over the economy portfolio on an interim basis, while plantation and commodities minister Johari Ghani is handling the portfolio of natural resources and environment sustainability.
The two vacancies arose after PKR’s Rafizi Ramli and Nik Nazmi Nik Ahmad stepped down in the middle of the year.
Works minister Alexander Nanta Linggi is overseeing the entrepreneur development and cooperatives portfolio that fell vacant following the resignation of Upko president Ewon Benedick last month.
Azmi said ministers from Pakatan Harapan are most at risk, as Anwar has greater discretion over their appointments.
In contrast, he noted, removing ministers from other parties would be difficult since they would want to “maintain their quota”.
“So, I would say that the most vulnerable is Fadhlina,” he told FMT.
“Maybe she’ll be swapped to another ministry. I think that would probably be the best thing for Anwar.”
Fadhlina, the Wanita PKR chief, has faced numerous calls to resign in the wake of several troubling incidents in schools involving murder, rape, and bullying.
She has acknowledged her weaknesses and said she considers the criticism as motivation for her to improve.
Azmi suggested that some ministers might perform better in different roles, arguing that Zambry Abdul Kadir would be better suited to the foreign ministry, while Mohamad Hasan could be reassigned to another portfolio.
He also suggested that Anwar consider bringing in non-partisan professionals to strengthen the government’s economic team, stressing the need for individuals with strong economic credentials.
“More technocrats should be brought in to win the public’s confidence.
“I think the most important thing is the economy, and Amir Hamzah (Azizan) is taking care of that.
“More professional individuals who are not tied to any political party or party agenda should be appointed as senators so that they can be promoted to ministers,” he said.
James Chin of the University of Tasmania expects the reshuffle to be more of a modest recalibration than a sweeping overhaul.
“(It) is not really a reshuffle. It’s about bringing new people in to fill the vacancies. If Anwar drops anyone, I think it will be deputy ministers, as some are already redundant,” he said.
He said promotions would not be based on performance alone since none of the ministers were doing a “particularly good job”.
Chin identified transport minister Loke Siew Fook as the only senior figure relatively free of controversies and said Fadhlina has long been seen as underperforming.
“But then again, education in Malaysia is very politicised. It’s very hard for anyone to make significant changes, especially with the rise of political Islam, so it’s a problematic portfolio,” he said.
He also pointed to the home ministry as a “difficult” portfolio due to various corruption allegations against the police, immigration and other enforcement agencies.
“But you can’t replace the minister as it’s a very strategic ministry that needs to remain in PKR’s hands, and it must be headed by someone Anwar trusts the most, Saifuddin Nasution Ismail,” he said.
The Prime Minister’s Office announced on Wednesday that a Cabinet reshuffle, Anwar’s second since assuming office in November 2022, will take place soon.
The Cabinet has four vacant posts – economy; natural resources and environment sustainability; entrepreneur development and cooperatives; and investment, trade and industry.
Finance minister II Amir Hamzah Azizan has taken over the economy portfolio on an interim basis, while plantation and commodities minister Johari Ghani is handling the portfolio of natural resources and environment sustainability.
The two vacancies arose after PKR’s Rafizi Ramli and Nik Nazmi Nik Ahmad stepped down in the middle of the year.
Works minister Alexander Nanta Linggi is overseeing the entrepreneur development and cooperatives portfolio that fell vacant following the resignation of Upko president Ewon Benedick last month.
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