The new cabinet, with the addition of MCA and Gerakan Ministers is bloated, said Penang Chief Minister Lim Guan Eng.

Cabinet reshuffle on 25 June saw 6 ministers added to the line-up, bringing the  total number of  full ministers in the Cabinet up to 35, and also 27 deputy ministers.

Lim Guan Eng slammed the newly elected ministers, saying that other than Liow Tiong Lai’s Transport Minister post, Ministers in the Prime Ministers Department were “empty and meaningless” positions.

“Both MCA and Gerakan have shown they enjoy even less influence over BN government policy than Perkasa,”

Also, Lim compared the Malaysian Cabinet, with United Kingdom (UK), America, and India, who, despite having much more citizens to govern, have less number of Cabinet Ministers than Malaysia.

“On what basis and logic can Malaysia with a smaller population than UK, USA and even India has 50% more Cabinet members of 35 compared to their 23,” Lim asked, suggesting also, that some of the existing cabinet ministers should have been replaced to make way for the reshuffle.

MCA given political crumbs

According to Lim, MCA cannot say that this was due to poor performance in GE 13, and that they were given a fair share of the political pie. MCA, in the 1999 general elections, had saved UMNO and BN from defeat, but were given only 4 seats also, said Lim.

“Clearly MCA is treated no different from “political beggars” and given “political crumbs” by not being rewarded when MCA won big and not given any respect when MCA lost,”Lim said, adding that the new appointments were not accompanied by New Policy Initiatives, such as for corruption through making public declaration of assets of Ministers, or ending negotiated tenders in preference for open competitive tenders, institutionalized annual funding for Chinese and Tamil schools as, well as focusing police resources to fighting crime so that people are not only safe but feel safe.

He also reminded that the GERAKAN President Mah Siew Keong did not even get Home Affairs Minister Ahmad Zahid Hamidi to withdraw and apologise for scolding the Chinese as ungrateful and neither did he get a genuine university. This was said by the Home Minister during BN’s by-election campaign in Teluk Intan.

MCA’s muted response would propel the government towards  “political sandiwara” (political drama), where BN politicans “keep quiet inside” and “make noise outside”.

MCA have not learnt from previous elections, and looks set to obediently submit to UMNO’s dominance again, he added. -TheRocket