A full-fledged Cabinet? A War Cabinet? Who will be part of the new Cabinet?
Malaysia went into speculation overdrive the minute Tan Sri Muhyiddin Yassin stepped down as prime minister on Monday.
Some were certain the old faces would continue to warm the hot seats in Putrajaya. Others felt a lean Cabinet, represented by all political parties, should be formed to better coordinate the fight against Covid-19, revive the nation’s economy and prepare Malaysians for the 15th General Election.
If a small team is on the cards, is Malaysia ready to have a Cabinet minus a youth and sports minister?
In his latest column in news website Getaran, Twentytwo13 editor Haresh Deol said perhaps this was the best time for athletes, sports administrators, and industry players to prove that they don’t need a minister to move on.
“This is because there are already several mechanisms in place to assist the elite athletes, sports associations, industry players and the public, in general,” wrote Haresh in his article published on Thursday.
“The Olympic Council of Malaysia, for example, can play a bigger role in assisting the sports associations and their athletes.
“The sports associations will also learn to stand on their own and not be overly dependent on government funds in getting their athletes ready for tournaments abroad as well as organising events locally.”
Haresh added, millions of ringgit in taxpayers’ money have been used for various sports programmes over the past three years but the achievement at the international level remained unsatisfactory.
Thailand, Singapore, Indonesia, and the Philippines have all won the Olympic gold medal, while Malaysia, despite the millions being spent, is still struggling to clinch the elusive gold.
“Without a minister, the on-going sports programmes will not be disrupted. This is because each time a new minister starts work at Wisma KBS, a new programme would be initiated, while the old programmes would be sidelined,” he added.
“Perhaps through this ‘new normal’, we will realise that sports can go on, even without a youth and sports minister.”
To read the full article, visit getaran.my.
