15 PUPPETS OR 15 GOOD MEN? - WILL ANWAR FINALLY GIVE UP THE FINANCE MINISTER'S POST - OR WILL HE APPOINT A SECOND FINANCE MINISTER?

 

Written by Stan Lee, Politics Now!

KUALA LUMPUR (Politics Now!) - DAP's former Bangi MP Ong Kian Ming has named 15 people he believes can fill the role of second finance minister as criticism against Prime Minister Anwar Ibrahim's ineffective management of the country's economy and currency mounts.

Anwar, who gave himself the Finance Minister post, is now assisted by two deputy ministers - Umno's Ahmad Maslan and DAP's Steven Sim. The ringgit is still hovering at 25-year lows while the stock market is lacklustre due to lack of buying interest after the Budget for 2024 failed to convince investors the economy was on the right track, triggering instead a capital flight.

"A second finance minister is effective only if Anwar gives him enough power and scope to do the job. Otherwise, he will end up as just another expense on the salary list," a former head of money at a large international bank told Politics Now!

"The thing is Anwar should let go of the Finance Minister post because it's not appropriate for a PM to be FM at the same time. It can cause conflict of interest as in the Najib administration, where no one is left to query or stop the FM because he is also the PM. We are not learning from past mistakes even after the 1MDB debacle. In Anwar's case, he is not hands-on enough as FM as he likes the international stage and spends his attention there." 

Khairy (left), Kian Ming (center) and Tony Pua

 The 15 on Kian Ming's list are Johari Ghani, a former second finance minister; Tengku Zafrul and Lim Guan Eng, who were both former finance ministers; Rafizi Ramli, the current economy minister, Nik Nazmi the current natural resources, environment and climate change minister; Ahmad Maslan and Steven Sim the current deputy finance ministers; Hassan Marican, the former Petronas CEO; Wahid Omar, the Bursa Malaysia chairman; Azman Mokhtar, the former Khazanah Nasional managing director; Shahril Ridza Ridzuan, the former EPF chief; Tengku Muhammad Taufik, the Petronas CEO; Khairy Jamaluddin, the former health minister; Tony Pua, the former special office to the finance minister and himself.

“I am willing to nominate myself as a backup if there is no more suitable candidate,” Free Malaysia Today reported Kian Ming as saying during a podcast with Khairy Jamaluddin. 

“The ones I suggested earlier, most of them are more qualified compared to me. But if the call comes, then I am open for it.”

Written by Stan Lee, Politics Now!

Politics Now!