Cabinet reshuffle

The recent cabinet reshuffle is primarily aimed to suit changes in MCA leadership after its party re-election which saw Chua Soi Lek toppled Ong Tee Kiat. Arising from that, Ong was removed from the ministerial portfolio and Chua was not included into the new cabinet line-up as expected for very obvious reason. It makes me wonder whether the cabinet is formed to serve the people or to distribute portfolios to the politicians. Are the minister portfolios being appointed base on merits or just to reward the politicians from the coalition?

It is sad to see Ong being removed. At least among the MCA politicians, he is regarded as one of the more capable and out-spoken. Chua is equally out-spoken but alas he can’t be a minister anymore since his resignation as health minister arising from the sex video scandal. And sadly, as Chua put it in a recent press conference, MCA only have 15 Members of Parliament so it has to first make some leaders who won in the party re-election to be a senator before they can fill the available portfolios in the Cabinet. How pitiful is that?

Chua know that he can’t be the minister or else he will be the laughing stock of MCA in the Parliament, knowing opposition leaders will capitalize his sex scandal to the fullest. So he makes his son a deputy minister instead. And it was fully supported by the Prime Minister as he felt that age is not an issue as he himself was made the youngest ever Menteri Besar of Pahang at the age of 29 although we all know why was he elected as the youngest Menteri Besar.

From the past two by-elections in Hulu Selangor and Sibu, the message from the Chinese community seemed obvious, and if MCA doesn’t shake up and continue with its seemingly never-ending infighting, they may not even able to maintain their 15 MPs in the next general election. Should that happen, its president, whoever he is, will find it even harder to find candidates to fill the cabinet portfolios.