KUALA LUMPUR: The onus is on Datuk Seri Anwar Ibrahim's cabinet members to get up to speed with their boss's achievements and to do better in terms of communication.
This would be the best way for the unity government to maintain its momentum and continue with its reform agenda, which has been set in motion.
Political analyst Datuk Dr Jeniri Amir said the prime minister's cabinet members had to expedite efforts to deliver their parties' election manifestos and other pledges to the people.
"All the players (ministers) must catch up with the captain (Anwar) and especially buck up on communication so that they won't be overshadowed.
"Previous warnings about Anwar possibly losing the position due to instability were merely a political ploy, and it is nothing to worry about as long as you do your job," he told the New Straits Times.
Since he was sworn in as 10th prime minister on Nov 24 last year, Anwar has repeatedly reminded elected representatives that political instability would harm the country, hinder foreign direct investment inflow and stunt economic growth.
From a broad point of view, Jeniri said, Anwar had been successful in bringing in multiple foreign investments in the first year after taking office, bringing the voices of Malaysians on the humanitarian crisis in Palestine to the global stage, and strengthening bilateral ties with other nations.
He said Anwar also spoke up about the Palestine-Israel conflict at the 2023 Asia-Pacific Economic Leaders' Week recently by calling for an immediate ceasefire in the conflict, with United States President Joe Biden among those in attendance.
During the Dewan Rakyat question-and-answer session earlier this week, Anwar said his speech before Biden was not planned, but he went ahead anyway, saying that countries were silent when atrocities were taking place in Gaza.
"I said you cannot dictate languages of discourse.
"They cannot force us to decide our stance, and I said the attacks must end now.
"More days go by, and more children and others are dying," Anwar told the lower house on Tuesday.
Despite these achievements, criticism was levelled against Anwar's administration for failing to allay the everyday people's worries about the economy, as was reflected in the Merdeka Center's October survey.
Jeniri said while Anwar was a great "salesman" at the international level, he had fallen victim to public perception on the local front, which needs to be addressed through the collective efforts of members of his administration.
"Sadly, perceptions are more real than reality itself.
"Some ministers do not stand out, and this gives the impression that the ministries are not functioning."
He said government agencies need to look at improving their communication with the public instead of relying on the Community Communications Department (J-KOM) to relay initiatives and plans to the masses.
Transparency International Malaysia (TI-M) yesterday called for clear key performance index (KPI) indicators for cabinet members, which should be revealed to the public to mark the first year of the unity government.
It said such report cards would allow the people to better understand the government's initiatives and policies, as well as gauge its performance.