The case for a Cabinet reshuffle

PUBLIC sentiment is hardening into a view that the government is under-delivering at a time when Malaysians are wrestling with rising prices, sluggish delivery of election promises, and the lingering effects of subsidy rationalisation. The perception that the Prime Minister must speak on every issue and appear in every forum is not a compliment; it is a signal that authority is over-centralised and that ministerial portfolios are not projecting sufficient ownership. The remedy is not more rhetoric but better structure, clearer delegation and a willingness to refresh the team where performance lags.

Recent political developments have made the deficit of bandwidth more visible. Following the PKR elections, Datuk Seri Rafizi Ramli resigned as Economy Minister and Nik Nazmi Nik Ahmad resigned as Natural Resources and Environmental Sustainability Minister. In the interim, Finance Minister II Datuk Seri Amir Hamzah Azizan has been tasked with discharging the duties of the Economy Minister, while Plantation and Commodities Minister Datuk Seri Johari Abdul Ghani, is discharging the duties of the Natural Resources and Environmental Sustainability Minister. These arrangements ensure continuity, but they also underline the need to stabilise the Cabinet’s centre of gravity around capable principals empowered to decide and deliver.