PM Najib and his cabinet-1

PM Najib needs to have a new team. He is now the undisputed number one. It is not just about kicking out or bringing in new faces. It's also placing the right people at the right places.

Hishamudin Hussein who is his cousin has not performed well in his home minister portfolio. He appears to be impotent and couldn't rein in the IGP. In any other country, no chief constable to the country has assumed overt political stance. Any political stance has always been the province of the minister in charge of the police. Here in Malaysia, Hishamudin hasn't been up to the mark. He is no King Ghaz when the latter was the Home Minister to Tun Razak. He should be reassigned to another post. One that doesn't require the projection of a toughie. I know he is holder of a black belt in something, but he is no match for a Muay Thai exponent.

Loyalty shouldn't be the topmost criteria. Loyalty can be rewarded by other means- plum jobs at GLCs or ambassadorships. What is needed is leadership capabilities, skills dedication and smarts to do a job. More important, people who can operate on their own with the shared vision and ideals of the PM. Not necessarily always agreeable but loyal to a cause.

Just what is the meaning of indisposed? That's the description given to our invisible foreign minister. For the 1^st time in history, Malaysia has an exceedingly shy foreign minister. I thought this is one of the easiest jobs for any given minister. Just for hobnobbing and rubbing shoulders with other foreign ministers and diplomats at cocktail parties. It should have been a cinch job for a person like Anifah Aman who is no stranger handling himself at glorified watering holes.

Since becoming the FM, we hardly hear of him. Perhaps he is not up to the job. He once declined to be in the cabinet when Pak Lah wanted to appoint him a deputy minister. I hear that actually one of the reasons he doesn't want to become FM is his extreme frustrations of being asked questions regarding the Altantuya murder each and every time he meets the foreign press. He can't handle the pressure. He says he has to fend off questions regarding this Mongolian every time he lands in foreign countries.

I hear he is asking to be stationed in Mongolia. He wants a sabbatical to take up the Mongolian language and understand the culture. So its time for PM Najib to let him go.

Put someone else with the silver tongue and hide thick enough to maneuver the issues. Yes, Rais Yatim will be a good candidate provided he is in the right mode always. If he has his emotional menses, ask him to stay home. His wife would be happy enjoying frequent sojourns in cooler climes. She is getting tired having to attend to the PM's wife. Let's see whether he will refrain from 'cakap oreng puteh'.

Its time PM Najib forged a team of his own- projecting his image, values and vision. Those deadwood ministers and deputy ministers who are no longer performing or are underperforming, must be encouraged to go off. Ask them to join PERKASA. Puad Zarkashi who seems to share a close affinity with the ideals of Perkasa should be let off. Maybe he can be UMNO's fifth columnist inside Perkasa.

Mukhriz Mahathir who seems not to serve any useful purpose other than as a shield against the tirade of the old man, should also be put to pasture. What did the victory in Hulu Selangor show? It showed the coup de grace for that victory was the personal appearance of the PM. It shows that the PM is sufficiently strong to be unassailable. He is no Pak Lah. He can stand on his own and by extension can make independent decisions. It's time for this PM to sever the umbilical cord to DR Mahathir.

PM Najib has no reason to be all things to all people. MIC which has only 3 MPs in Parliament should be adequately represented by just one member in the cabinet- and that too, at deputy level. The PPP who offers nothing to BN shouldn't be over tolerated in any way at all. Heck, PKR has more Indian MPs than PPP and MIC put together.