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KUALA LUMPUR (April 12, 2009): Immediately after Prime Minister Datuk Seri Najib Abdul Razak announced his new cabinet on Thursday, the majority of  "mainstream" critics (as opposed to mainstream print media) and the Opposition had little praise for the country's new leadership.

This is expected as it has been the behaviour of those with anti-establishment mentality, especially the ones who are quick to criticise for the sake of criticising, and having short memories of their own stand on issues that targeted politicians. Lest we forget their agendas.

One clear example is the reaction from the critics who now question Najib’s rationale and reasons for not including Umno Youth chief Khairy Jamaluddin in his administration.

Their opinions and postings are now skewed towards Khairy not being fairly treated, a political victim, and so on. Suddenly, Khairy is their new-found saint in Malaysian politics.

These are the same critics who demonised Khairy throughout his father-in-law Tun Abdullah Ahmad Badawi's tenure as prime minister.

As the saying goes, there are always two sides to the coin (or story). It is a question of maintaining objectivity and giving fair and reasonable doubt, leaving no room for emotions, when criticising or presenting views.

Facts are facts and Najib’s decisions on the make-up of the cabinet show that he is walking the talk to strengthen Barisan Nasional (BN) with his 1Malaysia vision that he espoused soon after he was sworn in as the sixth premier the previous week.

    
The cabinet appointments can be seen from the perspective that Najib excluded Khairy from his government administration because he wants to leave out tainted politicians. After all, Khairy was found guilty by the Umno disciplinary board of practising “money politics” but was let off with a stern warning, allowing him to contest the Umno Youth chief post.

Khairy won in the three-cornered race but with only slightly more than 30% of the votes against Datuk Seri Dr Mohd Khir Toyo and Datuk Mukhriz Mahathir.

Deputy Umno Youth chief Datuk Razali Ibrahim was appointed deputy youth and sports minister and Mukhriz a deputy international trade and industry minister.

Najib's message to the Youth wing is clear in walking the talk.

The cabinet and administration feature significantly more East Malaysian politicians in key posts.

Again, the premier's message is clear on his agenda and in facing political reality. He acknowledges the contributions of East Malaysians and their significant role in realising 1Malaysia.

Displaying leadership by example in mindset, Najib made an expected and even bolder political decision – giving the MCA an extra deputy minister’s post in a leaner cabinet.

It will do well for Umno members to note their leader's change in mindset in facing political reality by making decisions based on 1Malaysia, rather than purely on race. The bottom line: Umno is still very much in control of the government.

Giving MCA an extra deputy minister’s post shows Umno's trust in the MCA as its reliable coalition partner in BN. It also reflects Najib's faith and confidence in MCA to regain the lion’s share of the Chinese community’s support in the next general election.

The ball is now at the feet of the Chinese community to seriously contemplate its political stance for the future of the country. Now that the Umno president has shown his sincerity in walking the talk, the Chinese are in a political crossroads of sorts.

In furthering his visionary message, Najib also appointed Gerakan president Tan Sri Dr Koh Tsu Koon as a minister in the Prime Minister’s Department in charge of national unity and performance management.

   
In so doing, Najib has tasked another trusted Chinese leader to help unite the Chinese community under the BN and also to enhance performance in the public delivery system in line with the "1Malaysia, People First, Performance Now" motto.

Koh, a known workaholic and a non-controversial politician, swung into action immediately upon his appointment. He has given ministries 30 days to report their key performance index (KPI) which is also aimed at monitoring the performance of cabinet members as well as to ensure they discharged their duties responsibly.

Deputy Prime Minister Tan Sri Muhyiddin Yassin was quoted by Bernama on Friday as saying: "… we must act now before it is too late. We also need to support the leadership of Prime Minister Datuk Seri Najib Abdul Razak and strive to regain the people's support for Umno and BN."

Now is the crucial time for all communities to also walk the talk.