Ministry officials there to help ministers, PKR man tells Dr M

Pasir Gudang MP Hassan Karim said every ministry had competent, trained and experienced civil servants who would help ministers in implementing government policies.

PETALING JAYA: A PKR MP has dismissed Dr Mahathir Mohamad’s claim that the current Cabinet consists merely of good politicians who do not possess administrative competence.

Pasir Gudang MP Hassan Karim said that every ministry had competent, trained and experienced civil servants who would help ministers in implementing government policies.

He said it was not solely the Cabinet’s responsibility to implement policies, while not all ministers would take naturally to the job given its complexity and demanding nature.

“Every minister will need to be fast learners and gather experience regarding their respective portfolios while on the job,” he told FMT.

This comes after Mahathir said that many members of Prime Minister Anwar Ibrahim’s Cabinet had not been able to translate their popularity into forming a cohesive and effective administration.

The former prime minister said Anwar himself was not giving the kind of leadership that he should as he was too focused on political survival.

Mahathir cited the government’s move to raise the service tax and rationalise diesel subsidies, saying these steps should have been done in stages.

Home minister Saifuddin Nasution Ismail issued a sarcastic rebuttal earlier, saying he “agreed” with the former prime minister’s view since “Mahathir alone is the most capable person in this world”.