Thesun 2009-04-10 Page02 Kpis For Cabinet Ministers

2 œ

theSun

news without borders

| FRIDAY APRIL 10 2009

thesun says

briefs Disbanded ministry KUALA LUMPUR: The functions of the Entrepreneur and Cooperative Development Ministry, which has been disbanded, will be absorbed by other ministries. The development of small and medium industries (SMIs) will come under the International Trade and Industry Ministry (Miti). MARA and Tekun will be placed under the Rural and Regional Development Ministry. The communications division in the Energy, Water and Communications Ministry (which now has a name change) and the Malaysian Communications and Multimedia Commission will be absorbed by the Information Ministry. The Information Ministry will also take over the arts and culture portfolio. – Bernama

A team to renew Malaysia DATUK Seri Najib Razak is to be congratulated for unveiling his cabinet exactly a week after being sworn in as the country’s sixth prime minister. The speed with which he cobbled together his team reflects his readiness and eagerness to start working as quickly as possible to build what he described as a new and less-controlled Malaysia which is to be no longer ruled by an arrogant and all-knowing government. It is not easy to assemble a team to include people from various Barisan Nasional component parties, races, gender and to ensure as wide a representation as possible of all sectors of the population. These are the 28 men and women who are going to work together to realise the people-oriented and democratic One Malaysia he announced a few hours after becoming prime minister. These ministers are aided by 40 deputy ministers who are second-

liners who could be counted on a few years later to take the challenge of serving as full cabinet ministers. It will, of course, be noticeable that most of the ministers are familiar faces but are given different portfolios from the ones they held under the previous cabinet of former prime minister Tun Abdullah Ahmad Badawi. The new ones are Gerakan president Tan Sri Dr Koh Tsu Koon, Mejar Jeneral Datuk Jamil Khir Baharom, Kimanis MP Datuk Anifah Aman, businessman Datuk Raja Nong Chik Raja Zainal Abidin and former Women, Family and Community Development Minister Datuk Shahrizat Jalil, who lost her Pantai seat in last year’s general election but was elected Umno Wanita chief last month. Many would be wondering about the rationale of moving Deputy Prime Minister Tan Sri Muhyiddin Yassin from the Ministry of Inter-

national Trade and Industry to Education when they expected him to take up portfolios such as Home (now given to Datuk Seri Hishammuddin Hussein), Finance or Defence or allowed to remain in MITI. Among the new deputy ministers is Umno Puteri chief Datuk Rosnah Rashid Shilin but a leader of another wing of Umno, Khairy Jamaluddin, as expected, is absent from the line-up but the man he defeated for the Umno Youth post, Datuk Mukriz Mahathir, is now a deputy minister. Two deputy ministers who were promoted, as expected, were Datuk Ahmad Husni Mohamad Hanadzlan, as Finance Minister II, and Datuk Kong Cho Ha, as Minister of Housing and Local Government. Najib, of course, knows best about the people he has included in his cabinet. It is his cabinet and it is his prerogative to choose whoever he wants. We wish him and his new team well.

Education update KUALA LUMPUR: Former education minister Datuk Seri Hishammuddin Hussein says he will update Deputy Prime Minister Tan Sri Muhyiddin Yassin on several issues that need to be addressed by the ministry which now comes under Muhyiddin. Hishammuddin, who is now the home minister, said these include the latest report card on the New Education Blueprint (PIPP) which needs to be made public soon and the teaching of science and mathematics in English. On Umno Youth chief Khairy Jamaluddin not being given a post in the new cabinet line-up, Hishammuddin said: “It’s nothing to be concerned about”. – Bernama

KPIs for cabinet ministers by Tim Leonard [email protected]

PUTRAJAYA: Prime Minister Datuk Seri Najib Abdul Razak yesterday unveiled a leaner cabinet of 28 ministers – including six new faces and the exclusion of eight incumbents – and will subject them to key performance indicators (KPI) and six-monthly performance reviews. It is being viewed as a team that will hit the ground running to steer the country through its worst economic slowdown since the Asian crisis more than 10 years ago. His administration has 25 ministries, down from 27 under his predecessor Tun Abdullah Ahmad Badawi’s reign. He also named 40 deputy ministers, three more than the previous administration. Najib told a press conference

that was broadcast live that it was important for the new cabinet to display a high standard of integrity to maintain the trust of the people and must be prepared to meet the contemporary challenges of current times. He said it must work hard to face the current slowdown, besides building a nation which is united, respectful of one another and committed to pursuing the national agenda. He said economic concerns were of utmost importance to the new cabinet and an economic council will be set up to report directly to him. “The new cabinet is not only a new team with a new face, but also a new approach to administering the country better in a more responsible and transparent manner that focuses on the people,” he said.

To this end, he introduced a new paradigm of performance and achievement through the KPI which will “push for impact and not input, results rather than output and will ensure the public service delivery is value for money”. The KPI will be monitored by a new unit under the Prime Minister’s Department that will gauge the performance of ministers, deputy ministers and senior public servants. Najib said every ministry will be told to outline their own responsibilities to be included in the KPI in the next 30 days. “I will be involved in reviewing the performance of ministers every six months. Should any performance not meet the standard, I, the relevant minister and public officials concerned will remove any obstacle that is impeding their performance,” he said.

To this end, Minister in the Prime Minister’s Department Tan Sri Dr Koh Tsu Koon has been given the task of unity and performance management. Bringing Koh, the Gerakan president and former Penang chief minister, into the cabinet is being seen as giving the party a voice in the government, something it lost when it was almost wiped out in the last general election. Najib’s cabinet also has a new ministry called the Energy, Green Technology and Water Ministry to further the development and usage of green technology. The Ministry of Entrepreneur and Co-operative Development was abolished while the Culture, Arts, Heritage and National Unity Ministry was merged with the Information Ministry to become the Ministry of Information, Communications, Arts and Culture.

Cabinet changes at a glance THESE are the notable changes in the new cabinet announced yesterday. SIX NEW MINISTERS, including Gerakan president and former Penang chief minister Tan Sri Dr Koh Tsu Koon and Kimanis MP Datuk Anifah Aman, 55, the brother of Sabah Chief Minister Datuk Seri Musa Aman. Koh’s inclusion will give Gerakan (which was almost wiped out in the last general election) a voice in the administration. Anifah was once linked in the media with a switch to the opposition. EXIT OF EIGHT MINISTERS in the old administration, including Datuk Seri Azalina Othman Said who was under probe by the Malaysian Anti-Corruption Commission prior

»

»

to the Umno party polls. She lost in her bid for a supreme council post. FORMER PREMIER TUN DR MAHATHIR MOHAMAD’S SON and Jerlun MP Datuk Mukhriz appointed a deputy minister, although he had lost to Khairy Jamaluddin for the Youth chief post in the just-concluded party polls. Mahathir was the chief critic of the Tun Abdullah Ahmad Badawi administration which was blamed for the dismal 2008 polls outing. Khairy, 33, is Abdullah’s son-in-law. Youth deputy chief Datuk Razali Ibrahim was also made Deputy Youth and Sports Minister. By convention, the Umno Youth chief is given a full ministership. UMNO VICE-PRESIDENT

»

»

DATUK HISHAMMUDDIN HUSSEIN has been given the powerful post of Home Minister. The former Education Minister, who is also the prime minister’s cousin, is seen as climbing fast in the power ladder. TWO DEPUTY MINISTERS – MCA vice-president Datuk Kong Cho Ha and Datuk Ahmad Husni Hanadzlan – promoted to full minister. Ahmad Husni, 56, is an unassuming reformer who has risen steadily in Umno. Kong takes over from Datuk Seri Ong Ka Chuan in the Housing and Local Government portfolio. Ong is the brother of former MCA president Datuk Seri Ong Ka Ting. MCA GOT TO KEEP ITS FOUR MINISTERIAL POSTS, despite ear-

»

»

lier reports that it might lose one.

» SEVEN MINISTERS RETAINED their respective portfolios.

» THE

RESTRUCTURING OF THREE MINISTRIES namely Information; Unity, Culture, Arts and Heritage; and Energy, Water and Communications. The three have now been merged into two ministries namely the Energy, Green Technology and Water; and Information, Communications, Arts and Culture.

» FOURTEEN

MINISTERS SWAPPED PORTFOLIOS

» TWO

WOMEN MINISTERS, WITH EIGHT WOMEN DEPUTY MINISTERS.