KUALA LUMPUR: Having a smaller cabinet will hasten the decision-making process for government policies and make it more efficient.
Umno supreme council member Datuk Seri Johari Abdul Ghani, himself a former cabinet member, said the move proposed by caretaker Prime Minister Datuk Seri Ismail Sabri Yaakob was a cost-saving measure, considering the nation was facing economically-challenging times.
However, he said this was not the only good thing about having a smaller cabinet, as the measure would also make running the country a smoother and more efficient process.
"If we cut down the number of cabinet members, we can make it a team that is stronger and more efficient because it won't be too big a group. Decisions can be made quicker and policies can be implemented immediately without having to involve many ministries.
"What this means also is that we can implement more policies. At times (with a bigger cabinet), we may have good policies (in the works) but it takes time for them to be implemented.
"For instance, the Economy Ministry (currently placed under a minister in the Prime Minister's Department) can be merged with the Finance Ministry because they are basically in the same 'job scope'," he told reporters after the Jalinan Mesra Sahabat Usahawan Amanah Ikhtiar Malaysia (AIM) programme in Taman Maluri.
Also present was Media Prima Bhd group chairman Datuk Seri Dr Syed Hussian Aljunid.
Johari had been asked to comment on Ismail Sabri's statement that if he became prime minister again should BN form the government after the 15th General Election, he would have a smaller cabinet but one filled with technocrats.
Elaborating on what he said earlier, Johari said it would also be better to downsize the cabinet so there would be less politicking.
"A smaller cabinet would make things so much easier... there would be less politicking and the meetings will end quicker. This would mean we can implement things faster and this is important as we are chasing time now, and are basically four and a half years behind because of two years of Covid-19.
"When we are left behind, we won't be able to attract investments which in turn provide us with jobs," said the BN candidate for the Titiwangsa parliamentary seat.
On the possibility of a return to the cabinet if BN forms the government after GE15, Johari said he was ready to answer the call.
"You'll have to ask whomever is the prime minister then. But, personally, I am more than ready in using all the expertise I have in the corporate world.
"I have been an elected representative before and I will continue to offer my services to the country at the national level," said the former second finance minister.
Meanwhile, asked about young voters, especially those sitting on the fences, Johari said he was worried as younger Malaysians tend to be easily influenced by issues made up on social media.
"Young fence-sitters haven't made up their minds yet and they can be influenced by whatever appears on social media, fact or not. This is why I will continue to meet voters (in Titiwangsa) right up to end of the campaign period as I want to explain to them the real situation.
"What I want to stress to them is that they must constantly look at the record of each candidate and make their own analyses," he said.