Ministers shouldn't have to fake it till they make it, says KJ
Former minister Khairy Jamaluddin said people appointed to the Cabinet need time to settle in and cannot be expected to know everything about their jobs from day one.
PETALING JAYA : Newly-appointed ministers should be given more time to settle into their jobs after being appointed to the Cabinet, says former minister Khairy Jamaluddin.
The ex-health minister said that members of the Cabinet were expected to know everything related to their portfolio from day one, adding that this was unrealistic.
'The moment a minister is announced and appointed, almost the very next day, they see the press, and the press asks them, 'What are your priorities? This guy doesn't even know what day it is. They have to pretend. I mean, fake it till you make it, right?' he said in an episode of the Game of Impossible podcast with former minister Idris Jala and his son, Leon.
Khairy said ministers need at least two or three weeks to understand their ministries.
The former Rembau MP recounted how he took matters into his own hands when appointed as health minister in 2021, a portfolio which he admitted he was not very familiar with at the time.
'I had some goodwill with one of the big consulting companies because they did work for me before. So I asked them, can you help onboard me; that was my own initiative,' he said.
Khairy said the firm then arranged virtual briefings with health experts from around the world as he learned about the portfolio. 'They brought in their partners from all over the world, from healthcare financing, public health, health economics, looking at how other countries transform their hospitals.'
Since Malaysia's political system does not appoint specialists to such posts, Khairy said ministers must make the effort to understand their roles.
'You want somebody who's considered, somebody who's measured, somebody who knows what's realistic, rather than somebody just spewing absolute nonsense on day one,' he said.
Revamp ministry offices
Khairy, who has also served as minister for science, technology and innovation as well as youth and sports, also criticised the way ministerial offices were structured in Putrajaya, saying the layout often separated the minister from key staff.
'You walk into the office and you know this room is the private secretary, this room is the press secretary… That's not being in the trenches with the troops,' he said.
The former Umno man said he changed this in the health ministry at the height of the Covid-19 pandemic, opting instead to work side-by-side with his officers. He said his room was the same size as that of the ministry's secretary-general, 'same size as the directors of the task force'.
'When the troops see the generals there together, decision-making is easier,' said Khairy.
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