Putrajaya drift pushing some ministers to seek quick exit

Putrajaya drift pushing some ministers to seek quick exit.

See http://www.themalaysianinsider.com/malaysia/article/putrajaya-drift-pushing-some-ministers-to-seek-quick-exit?OpAdShown
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I quote;
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1. "The government needs a firmer leadership and a better understanding of what is going on in Malaysia. They don't seem to know and sometimes, don't seem to care.
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2. "Maybe that's why they are feeling gloomy. They are clueless and don't know what to do to keep power in Putrajaya" an Umno man said.
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COMMENTS :
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Kepimpinan kerajaan kita clueless?............hehehe.
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Mari kita tolong sedikit dengan memberi pandangan-pandangan yang ala constructive.
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A lot of things are driven by perception. And the way things are going i don't think it is sustainable for BN and even for PM Najib himself.
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Sure, there is nothing for BN to lose until the next GE. But what happens in the meantime, if the negative tide is not effectively stemmed, it may just lead to a widespread loss of confidence in the leadership. Every misstep or blunder will just feed into one another, and leads to a downward spiralling vicious cycle. By then it will be too late to do anything le.
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Post 2013 GE, i think certain skill-sets are prerequisites for ministers to have in order to project a perception of a strong and effective government.
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What skill-sets amongst others?
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1) Strong articulation
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The cabinet represents the frontline defence of any policy or action of the govt.
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However, that defence is no where to be seen, except from a few. What you have now is a situation where the PM and DPM are almost on their own in many issues.
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And bulk of the defence, if there exists, appears to have been outsourced to outside the cabinet; to bloggers, academicians, politicians, NGOs etc.
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I think that situation should be rectified by the leadership. As the saying goes, you can't ask a boy to do a man's job!
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What you need post 2013 GE for BN is a formidable cabinet that can take on any critics.
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Not just to articulately defend but to attack as well.
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But if the defence is no where to be seen, i think you can forget about making substantial attacks le...
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Imagine if you're watching a football match where most of the players fielded by one team are either running away from the ball, or being seen as outright kaki bangku. And appears semua nak play safe je. Takut tercedera.
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(But outside the field or kat padang kicik they could be superstars or exceptional players to impress the captain/manager).
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Boring tak tengok match macam tu?
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Is such a situation then the fault of the players or the team captain/manager?
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2) Problem solving skills.
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The top most priority of any govt is the security and defence of the nation and its people. Then comes economic management.
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Under economic management, one of the priority of this govt should be to curb rising prices especially for essential items.
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Failure to address such problems may become a key issue for BN to get reelected.
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There should be a comprehensive set of short, medium and long term approaches to curb rising prices.
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If the govt through GLCs need to step in to provide low and stable prices for a certain product or service, so be it.
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If competition needs to be intensified or the markets to be opened up for new entrants, so be it.
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If price ceilings need to be introduced and enforced upon certain products, so be it.
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If new market mechanism needs to be drawn up and implemented, so be it.
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But what needs to gradually change or lessen is the act of providing direct subsidy to a product.
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Explore other means possible with the same end objective in mind; to curb rising prices.
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For example, the kedai 1 msia concept I think is too small to have a big impact. Why not explore the idea of GLCs going into hypermarket business (macam giant, carrefour, aeon) in a big way?
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Of course the easiest way is to open up the market for a new international entrant with the right expertise to come in, and get a GLC or MoF Inc with a controlling stake, to partner with them. This i think is cheaper than buying into existing hypermarket businesses.
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From there, then work "backwards". Look at every product category on the shelf and find ways to lower or maintain the price whilst ensuring decent profitability. (Whether by intensifying competition, get GLCs to step in, enforce price ceiling, or source for cheaper alternatives for the product category etc).
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Another example is too look into the fisheries market. Ever wonder how prices of fish are determined in the wholesale market? Is or isn't there a transparent market mechanism to decide the prices of fish? If there isn't, why not introduce an auction market? Why not study from countries which have done it? When a transparent system is available, prices can be influenced through demand and supply, and the govt can step in whenever necessary. Otherwise, you'll be at the mercy of unscrupulous wholesalers or middlemen.
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Next, the maid services market. Why not get a GLC to step in? Especially those with businesses in Indonesia and have a foothold there. Objective is to bring down prices.
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Next, overhaul the fuel subsidies. (I've written about this before with details so i am not going to reproduce again). So that foreigners are excluded. Also big-time smuggling can be curbed. Brainstorm so that every potential leakage can be minimised. That is good enough for a start and can save billions.
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The key in all of the above is to have strong problem solving skills. Plus imagination and creativity. Those are prerequisites for the cabinet. Otherwise, how is the govt going to help solve the problems of the rakyat and the nation? Takkan nak asyik panggil consultants je to do the thinking on their behalf?
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Tun Daim dah cakap dah BN akan kalah kalau the general elections are being held now. The substantial drop in the PM's popularity ratings I think would lend strong credence to such a talk.
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Post 2013 GE where BN has lost the majority votes yet retain the Federal Govt, i think it is not only incumbent on BN to come up and implement the "right" policies, but also need to avoid unpopular ones as well. Otherwise macam mana nak dapat support kalau policies are not popular? Remember, we rakyat have a viable choice now.
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I think the PM is a pragmatic person who has his ears on the ground. And he knows where the wind is blowing from.
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The bumiputera agenda is an example. His u-turn to reintroduce the policy with one stroke has silenced his critics within UMNO. And he did it at an opportune timing. Lepas tu semua attack on him not helping Bumis fizzled out.
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His "u-turn" on the 10-point solution on the bible issue is another example. He kept quiet but waited until the umno sc meeting to hedge his position. Now you can't blame him alone (on the policy) since not only the cabinet but umno has endorsed that position!
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Given those traits (being pragmatic as one), i would expect him to do the same (effect the necessary changes at the opportune time) to the govt in due course.
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A makeover of the govt is clearly needed. Otherwise the downward spiralling vicious cycle for BN will not stop in my view. And with no strong defence as well.
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What makeover?
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Sack those advisers who have become liabilities in the eyes of the public.
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Reconstitute the cabinet with the above 2 skill-sets in mind. The frontline defence needs to be visible. And to attack as well.
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Tackle the rising prices problem in a big way. Short, medium and long term plans and actions are needed.
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Overhaul fuel subsidy system. Jangan tamak; just exclude foreigners and big time smugglers. That i think is hood enough for a start and can help can save billions for the govt.
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Lastly, engage the veterans like tun dr m and tun daim. I think they know what they're talking about. Their minds (plus experience & £££ hehe..) are their strengths.
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In short, our PM needs to start sending shockwaves to the system to regain support. Otherwise it will be a lost cause for BN.


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