Not So Bad For Bersatu To Be Out Of Cabinet Say Analysts

---

 
Political commentators Awang Azman Pawi (left) and Azmi Hassan say there could be advantages to staying out of the Cabinet.PETALING JAYA: With Bersatu no longer the dominant force in Putrajaya, an analyst believes it may not be a bad idea for the party to stay out of Prime Minister Ismail Sabri Yaakob’s government.
Socio-political analyst Awang Azman Pawi of Universiti Malaya said Bersatu could be more vocal in providing a check and balance on the new government if party MPs were not part of the Cabinet.
“If they are part of the Cabinet, and we know decisions are made by consensus, it would be harder for them to be critical of the government and Umno if the new administration underperforms,” he said.
Yesterday, Bersatu denied an online portal’s report that said Bersatu president Muhyiddin Yassin had proposed rejecting appointments to the new Cabinet.
The party’s information chief Wan Saiful Wan Jan said the report which cited sources was ill-intended and aimed at creating divisions within the party.
Ismail was sworn in as prime minister yesterday and is expected to announce his Cabinet soon.
Awang Azman said that although Bersatu was unlikely to reject any Cabinet post, the party had nothing to lose if it was not part of the government as cooperation in the government would not lead to any sort of reconciliation with Umno.
“At the next general election, they will go head-to-head with Umno; by supporting Ismail they appear to be the bigger man for doing their part to ensure political stability,” he said.
Staying out of the government, he said, allowed them to be vocal and enter GE15 in a more favourable position than as a “Kerajaan Gagal” as critics have called it.
Another analyst, Azmi Hassan, believes Bersatu must not reject any post offered to it. “Otherwise they will be seen as trying to play politics. But it’s not a bad thing if they were excluded from the Cabinet as it would allow them to distance themselves from Umno if the new government does not perform well.” - FMT

---