By Dr Musa Mohd Nordin and Dr Johari Bux
When YAB Tun Dr Mahathir Mohamad announced that he would be holding the education portfolio and YB Dr Wan Azizah Wan Ismail the women’s affairs portfolio, we flipped!
And upon reading this morning’s Star headline, “Anwar: Ministerial posts for top two not contrary to manifesto”, we double flipped!
Was everyone simply being polite to Tun when he rationalised his master plan to rejuvenate the Malaysian education system? Didn’t the young Turks, the likes of YBs Dr Dzul, Khalid Samad, Liew Chin Tong, Nurul Izzah et al, in the political forum who were always loud and dissenting (in a good way) respond to Tun’s plans to revolutionise the learning and teaching of our young minds?
It is as if they were mesmerised by Tun or still on Cloud 9 post-GE14 euphoria. More probably, it was that they “tak sampai hati” to speak against an old man’s “dying wish” for his nation’s children and their future.
We hardcore clinicians may be politically naive in the bargaining and jostling for political posts in the new Cabinet, but as far as Tun and Kak Wan are concerned, we are clinically convinced on the grounds of “evidence-based politics” (EBP) that neither should hold portfolios in the Pakatan Harapan Cabinet.
As PM and DPM, they should be the Master Jedi on the “Pakatan Harapan High Council”, mentors of the PH-Padawans, guardians trusted with the fiduciary duty of overseeing the new Cabinet to ensure the cherished values of competency, accountability and transparency of political governance are fully operational.
There are plenty of talents in the PH coalition, and our guess is that Tun would be simply spoilt for choice.
And if our reading of Kak Wan is correct, she would not want to stay a minute longer in the Cabinet.
Besides, we do not want to gestate another family dynasty in the new PH Cabinet – we just got rid of one on May 9.
Dr Musa Mohd Nordin is with the Damansara Specialist Hospital while Dr Johari Bux is with the Tung Shin Hospital.
The views expressed are those of the author and do not necessarily reflect those of FMT.