PETALING JAYA: The Cabinet ministers’ 100-day report card is a way for the government to show accountability, say political commentators.The report card, said Prof Dr Sivamurugan Pandian of Universiti Sains Malaysia, was the government’s commitment towards good governance, transparency and competency.
He said the report card could also be used to further improve the performance of the ministers and ministries.
“They should be evaluated based on their popularity, the ministry’s key performance index (KPI) and engagement with the masses.
“Recognition is important to remain popular among the masses.Those who fail to get A to B+ should be dropped and replaced,” he said when contacted.
Prof Sivamurugan said the Prime Minister (Datuk Seri Ismail Sabri Yaakob) should be evaluated as well, adding that the overall result from his Cabinet members would in fact reflect his leadership.
“An independent body should be given the task to review and give recommendations, as this is not the first time ministers have been asked to come up with a report card.
“Maybe the Chief Secretary (to the Government) and the Auditor-General can be included in the committee as well, aside from officers from the Malaysian Anti-Corruption Commission’s integrity unit.
“However, it would be better if it could be outsourced to someone who is impartial and neutral in order to give recommendations to improve the Cabinet members’ performance and delivery system,” he said.
On getting public opinion in evaluating the report card, he said public response should be included but must be verified to avoid character assassination.
When announcing his Cabinet line-up on Aug 27, Ismail Sabri instructed the ministers to present a report card to the people for them to evaluate their performance in their first 100 days in office.
He said he and a committee would review the ministers’ performance and that feedback from the public would also be taken into account.
The Prime Minister will address the nation on his 100th day of administration, which falls on Dec 10.International Islamic University Malaysia legal adviser Prof Dr Nik Ahmad Kamal Nik Mahmod said the report card was a way to compel ministers to improve their performance and for the government to establish a public perception that they were committed to performing.
“I think a 100-day performance is not objective enough to determine whether a minister is capable or not.“For their first 100 days in office, I believe there is no need to have a particular system of grading. Instead, it should be based on an overview of how they perform.
“A proper and more systematic grading system would be fairer for a period longer than their first 100 days,” he said.
Prof Nik Ahmad Kamal added that the report card should not determine whether any Cabinet members should go.
“What should be done is for those with less satisfactory results to be told by the Prime Minister that they need to buck up and come up with a strategic plan over the next six months or one year on how to improve their performance,” he said.He said independent figures should be among the committee members that sit with the Prime Minister to evaluate the report card as the involvement of non-partisan bodies would ensure objectiveness so that constructive criticism could be given.
“The committee should include members of the public represented by non-governmental organisations, retired senior civil servants and non-partisan well-known figures.“These are examples of people who are able to evaluate the Cabinet members in a very objective manner and provide an objective and constructive evaluation of the ministers,” he said.
Prof Nik Ahmad Kamal said it was also incumbent on the government to employ, in presenting the report card, the principle of collective responsibility.
“The ministers are individually responsible for their respective portfolios but the Cabinet is responsible for everyone’s overall performance, with the Prime Minister responsible for any shortfalls or failures of his Cabinet line-up.
“If the Cabinet members are not performing well, it is also the responsibility of the Prime Minister as he is in charge of the entire Cabinet and the government,” he said.