KUALA LUMPUR, Feb 16 — Former education minister Datuk Mohd Radzi Md Jidin has proposed that the government enforce laws to prevent the prime minister from also taking up the post of finance minister.
He made this call as a reminder to Pakatan Harapan (PH) whose 14th general election manifesto promised to prevent the prime minister from holding an additional ministerial post, specifically that of the finance minister.
“Pakatan Harapan leaders themselves disagreed with the appointment of the prime minister as finance minister.
“But it is very sad to see when Tambun (Prime Minister Datuk Seri Anwar Ibrahim) also holds the position of finance minister, his friends have all gone silent.
“Not only that, Tambun also holds another portfolio, the Federal Territories Ministry, which has changed its name to the Federal Territories Department,” Radzi told Parliament today during the debate on the Royal address.
He likened the situation to a joke once told by Minister of Agriculture and Food Security Mohamad Sabu about how “the prime minister sought the approval of the finance minister”, in reference to scandals that occurred under Datuk Seri Najib Razak’s administration where he held both posts.
“For the record, the last prime minister to be finance minister was the sixth prime minister (Najib). Prime ministers after that — Tun Dr Mahathir Mohamad, Tan Sri Muhyiddin Yassin and Datuk Sri Ismail Sabri Yaakob — did not hold any ministerial portfolio.
“We need to understand that the centralisation of power can increase the risk of misuse of power because there are no checks and balances,” he added.
On Tuesday, Anwar had during Prime Minister’s Question Time said there is no issue with him holding both posts.
He said in the course of Malaysia’s history, there were no problems even when the two posts were held by the same person.
He was responding to a question from Radzi, who is also Bersatu’s Putrajaya MP, on whether the decision to take up both posts would create more room for a repeat of past incidents, in reference to corruption scandals involving 1Malaysia Development Berhad (1MDB), SRC International Sdn Bhd, Lembaga Tabung Haji and the Federal Land Development Authority (Felda).
