New Shahbudin: Istana irked by Ministers annoying people

The source of the country's problems is not the dumb Ministers who are the butt of public jokes but the person who appointed them and continues to keep them in government, writes Shahbudin Husin.

KUALA LUMPUR: It’s not the norm for the Istana to openly criticise Ministers who are generally considered not only less than intelligent but have even become the butt of jokes among the people, said a political analyst in his latest blog posting.

“Previously, the Istana has generally avoided getting mixed up with government administration. The last thing that they would do in the past was to openly criticise the government and Ministers.”

It seems things are very much different during the Najib Administration, observed Shahbudin Husin the analyst. “The people continue to poke fun at Ministers, especially those considered not so intelligent, and this has made the Istana sit up and take notice.”

The latest incident, said the analyst, was the Tuanku Mahkota Johor (TMJ) openly criticising Ministers who appear to be less than intelligent and, as a result, are generally the butt of jokes among the people.

The TMJ, he added, said that it was important that the government took steps to improve the system in the country by dropping several Ministers whom the people have concluded are more suitable to be comedians.

“Malaysia, the TMJ pleaded, also needs Ministers who can serve the people and are not focused on filling their pockets.”

It would not be necessary to list all the errant Ministers one by one as the people already know who they are from their public statements and responses, said Shahbudin. “The question that arises is how did these people manage to become Ministers.

“Who appointed them, despite knowing that they lack gray matter, and worse still, keeps them in government?”

If those who shouldn’t be in government continue to remain there, said Shahbudin, questions can also be raised on the calibre of the person who appointed them and continues to keep them in government. “Obviously, the person who appointed them is also not up to standard as far as intellect goes.

“Those who are not too smart will generally appoint people who are even dumber than them to avoid looking bad. In this way, the boss appears smarter, even if he is the best of the worst.”

However, said the analyst, those who are smart will only appoint the brightest and best in their administration since they would not want the public to perceive them as being a bad judge of character or underestimating their intellect.

In summation, the leader is the one who must be faulted, wrote Shahbudin, and is the overarching reason why the country’s systems are in such bad shape.

“The answer lies in getting rid of the person who continues to appoint these people as Ministers.”