He said Prime Minister Ismail Sabri Yaakob must have a lean line-up, comprising MPs or senators who have the courage to make a difference.

“Go for quality which includes merit, integrity and courage to bring about change during these challenging times,” he told FMT.

Those with credibility will boost the confidence of the rakyat and investors, he said.

Akhbar, who is the president of the Malaysian Association of Certified Fraud Examiners, also hoped that Ismail will do away with deputy ministers who are not needed during the pandemic.

“Do we need so many deputy ministers during a pandemic?” he asked, adding that their roles can be handled by the chief secretary to the government.

This will help cut government overheads and channel the money to the people who are suffering due to the pandemic.

Akhbar also hoped that Ismail will not appoint any MP or senator facing criminal charges.

“National interest must come first especially after weathering months of political turmoil,” he said.

Analyst Kenneth Cheng hoped that Ismail will make use of the political ceasefire agreement with the opposition to appoint the right people.

“After the agreement, Ismail has leeway without having to worry about his majority support in Parliament. He should appoint capable ministers,” he said.

He agreed that the Cabinet should be lean and that the ministers who failed to perform in controlling the epidemic should not be picked again.

Cheng also said that former law minister Takiyuddin Hassan should not be reappointed, following a royal rebuke for misleading Parliament on the annulment of the emergency ordinances.

“It would not be a good idea to include him in the Cabinet,” he said.