The four senators appointed as deputy ministers this week were MIC deputy president Datuk G. Palanivel (Plantation Industries and Commodities); MCA vice-president Datuk Donald Lim (Finance); People’s Progressive Party (PPP) vice-president Datuk Maglin Dennis D’Cruz (Information Communication and Culture); and MCA vice-president Gan Ping Sieu (Youth and Sports).Analysts have dismissed Najib’s cabinet changes as unsurprising, saying the prime minister was offering nothing new with less than three years before the next general election.Some also pointed out that the tweak was only meant to accommodate the changes in MCA leadership.
Political analyst Khoo Kay Peng said Najib did not have the political will to exert change to Barisan Nasional’s (BN) coalition politics.“I think it is disappointing because he has stuck to the convention of Barisan Nasional especially by appointing Cabinet members according to the coalition parties. The Cabinet reshuffle also does not bode well with Najib’s premiership,” Khoo told The Malaysian Insider.
He also questioned a number of appointments that Najib announced earlier this week.“How can he appoint Palanivel as a deputy minister when Barisan Nasional rejected him as its candidate in the Hulu Selangor by-election?“I think this is quite questionable, and other appointments are also questionable. Like Donald Lim, he has been [there] and done that and was completely rejected in the last election,” Khoo added.
UKM political science lecturer Dr Mohamad Agus Yusoff added that ministers and deputy ministers should be elected by the public.“Senators should not be appointed as a minister or a deputy minister but the ministers should be members of Parliament. Why should Najib give the position to a senator? What is so special about them that they have to be appointed as ministers?
“I do not see anything special about them. It is ironic that they were appointed by the prime minister but rejected by the people,” he said.However, USM political scientist Dr Sivamurugam Pandian explained that Najib had to accommodate the coalition parties.
“In this situation, it seems that the prime minister was forced to appoint senators as deputy ministers because they have high positions within their own parties. Parties will submit their names to him and if he does not appoint them, then he may risk alienating the parties,” he said.One analyst was, however, surprised with the appointment of MCA president Datuk Seri Dr Chua Soi Lek’s son, Labis MP Chua Tee Yong.
Nevertheless, Monash University Malaysia political scientist James Chin did not believe there would be any political repercussion even though the decision to appoint the younger Chua was highly unpopular.“I am surprised by how blatant Chua Soi lek is because most people thought that he was quite a sophisticated political player because he already put his son in the presidential council. I think it was a bit of a surprise to appoint him straight to become a deputy minister.
“[But] I don’t think there would be any backlash from the party because MCA is like Umno. It is all based on patronage and nobody would say anything as long as Chua is the president. They will grumble behind [his] back but they would not say anything in public,” he said.Najib and Dr Chua have defended the appointment of the latter’s son, denying there was any form of nepotism involved or that they had brokered an agreement.
Source : http://www.themalaysianinsider.com//
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