Ministers Please Start A Whatsapp Group For Malaysians Are Embarrassed For You

---

 
IN an age where school Parents, Teachers Associations (PTAs) and the neighbourhood communities have mastered WhatsApp for coordination, one can’t help but wonder why our esteemed Madani Cabinet hasn’t considered this humble platform.
It could save Malaysians a whole lot of confusion – not to mention national embarrassment!
Take the past week, for instance. The Home Minister firmly declared that the anti-corruption rally had unresolved issues. No complete notice, no consent from Kuala Lumpur City Hall (DBKL) for the venue, yada yada.
Image credit: Malaysia Bangkit/FacebookThe message was loud and clear: the rally was a no-go (never mind that Pakatan Harapan came to power on the back of multiple rallies like BERSIH). Then came Prime Minister Datuk Seri Anwar Ibrahim bearing the good news: “No problem, rally permission granted. Rally away!”
And then, there was Works Minister Datuk Seri Alexander Nanta Linggi who had informed the nation that there would be no more Chinese New Year’s toll discount like those from the previous years.
The government was moving towards a targeted subsidy approach – no more blanket free tolls during festivities, much to the disappointment of millions of vehicle owners expected to hit the road during the Chinese New Year (CNY) break.
Then came the Prime Minister Datuk Seri Anwar Ibrahim again, swooping in to announce that Class One personal vehicles would still enjoy a 50% toll discount nationwide on Jan 27 and Jan 28.

Just start a WhatsApp group
It’s becoming a pattern: one minister announces an unpopular decision and PMX plays the benevolent ruler, trying to undo the missteps of his underlings. Is this poor coordination? Or is it simply a government struggling to communicate with itself?
These contradictions undermine public trust. If the left hand doesn’t know what the right is doing, how are Malaysians supposed to take this administration seriously?
Anwar himself campaigned on transparency and competency yet his Cabinet can’t seem to agree on basic decisions.
This could all be fixed with one simple step: start a WhatsApp group!

Yes, PMX, we know you love town halls and public speeches but maybe start with internal communication first?
A WhatsApp group for ministers – no forwards, no family gossip, no cringey “Good morning and have a nice day everyone” posters. Just clear, unified decisions. Imagine this: before any statement is made, ministers check the group chat.
For example, one could ask: “Okay, are we saying yes to the rally or no?” If there’s no consensus, the Ministers can resort to the “poll” feature in Group WhatsApp and stick with the majority decision. Simple, efficient and no need embarrassing U-turns.
It’s bad enough that policies are often vague or poorly implemented. Adding conflicting announcements into the mix is the political equivalent of shooting yourself in the foot.
Malaysians deserve clarity, especially during economically challenging times. If ministers can’t even align their statements, how can we expect them to align their policies?
Because right now, it feels like the only “unity” in this Madani government is the collective frustration of Malaysians trying to figure out what on earth is going on. 
Johan Abu Bakar is a Focus Malaysia reader.
The views expressed are solely of the author and do not necessarily reflect those of  MMKtT.
- Focus Malaysia.

---