Can One Man Handle Being Both Prime Minister AND Finance Minister At The Same Time?
Malaysia's former Finance Ministers say it's high time Najib relinquish one of his positions to fully focus on being either the Prime Minister or the Finance Minister.
By Mei Mei Chu — 12 Nov 2014, 03:34 PM — Updated almost 10 years ago
The Parliament Broke Out In Chaos Yesterday With A Debate On Whether PM Najib Should Continue To Hold Onto The Finance Portfolio
The situation at the Dewan Rakyat turned chaotic today as Members of Parliament from both the Barisan Nasional and Pakatan Rakyat exchanged views on whether the Finance Ministry portfolio should continue to be held by Datuk Seri Najib Razak.
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Former Finance Ministers Tengku Razaleigh Hamzah And Daim Zainuddin Had Previously Said That The Prime Minister Should Not Also Be The Finance Minister
The call for Prime Minister Najib Razak to relinquish his finance portfolio gathered strength today, with two MPs supporting suggestions made recently by former finance ministers Tengku Razaleigh Hamzah and Daim Zainuddin.
In his six-page letter, which was distributed to all federal lawmakers last week, Tengku Razaleigh said Putrajaya must be sensitive of factors that could lead to the downfall of the economy, including laws such as the Official Secrets Act and the Universities and University Colleges Act.
themalaysianinsider.com
Kluang MP Liew Chin Tong Of DAP Say There Was A Need For A Full Time Finance Minister To Give Full Attention To The Country's Economic Challenges
Kluang MP Liew Chin Tong of DAP said the problems highlighted yesterday in the Auditor-General’s report should be addressed by a full time Finance Minister. “I am endorsing the suggestion by Tun Daim Zainuddin and Tengku Razaleigh Hamzah that the Prime Minister should not also be the Finance Minister. “I think it’s about time we have a full time Finance Minister who can manage economic issues and the country’s finances.”
"The finance minister is a full-time job, to manage economic issues and control government spending. "I once spoke to Ku Li and he likened his job to a class monitor and financial controller, whereby he will meet with all ministers before their budget requests are included in the budget," Liew said at the Parliament lobby today in referring to another former finance minister Tengku Razaleigh Hamzah.
themalaysianinsider.com
He added that with worries over an impending economic slowdown due to the upcoming rollout of the goods and services tax (GST) in April as well as Putrajaya's current fuel subsidy rationalisation exercise, there was a need for a senior minister to give full attention to these challenges.
themalaysianinsider.com
Pokok Sena MP Mahfuz Omar Of PAS Says Not Only Is There An Overlap Of Responsibilities, Najib's Ability To Perform The Task Of Finance Minister Is Also Questionable
Pokok Sena MP Mahfuz Omar of PAS said the advice given by Tengku Razaleigh and Daim had to be taken seriously because they were speaking from plenty of experience. “They performed in the portfolio with utmost excellence in their time because they had full authority to carry out their duties with complete focus,” he said. With Najib, he added, it was not only the overlap of responsibilities that was being questioned, “but also the ability to perform the tasks” of the Finance Minister.
"As the finance minister, he should go look for new sources of income to stimulate economic growth but unfortunately, he is doing that by hurting the people's pocket," he said in referring to the broad-based consumption tax. "This is unfair to the people. Maybe he is overwhelmed with work and cannot think of any new sources to boost the government's income."
themalaysianinsider.com
On The Other Hand, Lenggong MP Datuk Shamsul Anuar Say The Nation's Economy Is Stable Because Of Najib's Leadership
However, this was shot down by Lenggong Member of Parliament Datuk Shamsul Anuar Nasarah, who said the nation’s economy was stable now because of the Prime Minister’s leadership.
therakyatpost.com
According to him, suggestions from all quarters, including old party leaders, were welcomed by the Barisan Nasional and would be considered for the good of the people. “If Pakatan Rakyat feels BN has not performed, then it should do better. It must look at itself first before pointing at others,” said Bintulu Member of Parliament Tiong King Sing.
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“In BN, we respect everyone’s views. Not like PR. In Penang, when PAS spoke up, its members were fired. “When a PAS member in Johor voiced his views at the PAS muktamar, he was suspended,” said Shamsul in reply to Mahfuz.
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The Argument Is Not Only Confined To The Parliament As Regular Malaysians Are Also Seen Debating Whether Najib Should Step Down As The Finance Minister
The Practise Of Prime Minister Holding The Finance Portfolio Started In 1997 After Then PM Dr Mahathir Sacked Anwar Ibrahim From The Finance Minister Position
Najib is the current prime minister and finance minister. The practise of the prime minister holding the finance minister portfolio started after the sacking of Datuk Seri Anwar Ibrahim in 1997, and after former finance minister Tun Daim Zainuddin resigned in 2011.
themalaysianinsider.com