Unity Govt Manifesto Among Items Discussed At Cabinet Retreat

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The cabinet ministers’ retreat at Seri Perdana Complex in Putrajaya yesterday discussed the possibility of a “unity government manifesto”, among other issues.
However, according to a source who is familiar with the retreat, no concrete decisions were made regarding the matter.
“We tried to combine the four parties’ manifestos, but it was nothing much.
“We just talked about it and then showed some differences and commonalities in all the manifestos, but how to combine it, that one we didn’t touch because it was only a short retreat and there was no time.
“(The retreat) was never meant to make any decisions,” the source told Malaysiakini today.
Instead, the source said the retreat was more on briefing the ministers, especially those in their positions for the first time, on matters such as government protocol, the function of the civil service and so on.
“It was more like an orientation,” the source added.
Aside from that, the ministers were also briefed about the economic status and political situation of the country.
With regard to the discussion on key performance indicators (KPIs) for the ministers, the source said the conversation was on how to improve the KPI system.
“What is important is that there has to be a link (of the KPIs) to the layman and the rakyat because otherwise, even if you get 100 or 98 percent but the perception on the ground is very bad, it is still useless,” the source said.
Building rapport, camaraderie
Meanwhile, Communications and Digital Minister Fahmi Fadzil declined to confirm any discussion on the unity government manifesto at the retreat.
Instead, he told Malaysiakini the government will make an announcement on the matter once it is prepared to share.
Communications and Digital Minister Fahmi FadzilFahmi described the retreat as a “very good opportunity for all cabinet members to spend a little bit more time together” building rapport and camaraderie as well as ensuring everyone understands the ethos of the new administration.
“The message is we’ve got to work quickly. What the prime minister really wants us to do is to solve the people’s problems now,” he said.
On the KPI discussion, he said it is not about getting “so-called good grades” as that is merely an internal calculation.
The key message, he pointed out, is to do work that has a real effect on the people.
“(The message was) that whatever we do, avoid the sense of syok sendiri (self-indulgence),” he added.
The cabinet ministers’ retreat yesterday saw Prime Minister Anwar Ibrahim and 27 ministers in attendance, as well as 10 senior government officials.
The Prime Minister’s Department said the programme was carried out to bolster consensus and solidarity among ministers and included special briefing sessions covering important aspects towards strengthening delivery and governance of the government machinery.
It was also reported that Chief Secretary to the Government Mohd Zuki Ali delivered a briefing on the implementation of KPI for cabinet members at the retreat. - Mkini

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