A Kadir Jasin said Anwar should be wary of the challenges he may face in the wake of the World Bank’s warning of a sharp slowdown in global growth this year.

“It wouldn’t be wrong or presumptuous for the people to expect the government to have a pretty clear idea of what’s wrong with the country and how to fix it after more than four months in power,” he said in a Facebook post.

Kadir said Anwar, who is also the finance minister, had “layers upon layers of bureaucracy” that could help him deal with various economic challenges.

“He has Rafizi Ramli as his economy minister. He also has the Economic Planning Unit, Bank Negara Malaysia, and an advisory panel headed by (former Petronas CEO) Hassan Marican, (FVSB executive chairman) Ahmad Fuad Ali, (Sarawak Energy Bhd chairman) Abdul Hamed Sapawi as well as economists Yeah Kim Leng and Rajah Rasiah,” he said.

He said these figures were well-versed in economic theory, and hoped that Anwar would frequently consult them.

Kadir also said Anwar could draw on the experience of Titiwangsa MP Johari Ghani, who is a former second finance minister. “Johari is probably the most knowledgeable in economics and commerce among Umno leaders,” he said.

Last month, Anwar appointed Hassan, Fuad, Hamed, Yeah and Rajah to a board to advise him in his capacity as finance minister. They will not be paid.

Kadir also said he hoped Anwar’s economics knowledge had improved since he first took on the finance portfolio in the 1990s.

“He had Dr Mahathir Mohamad as his boss then and Daim Zainuddin as his guide,” he added.