GREAT expectations. These two words sum up what Malaysians expect from Prime Minister Datuk Seri Anwar Ibrahim's cabinet members sworn in on Saturday. Never before have so many demands been made on so few people.
There is a reason for this. The Malaysia of today isn't the Malaysia we are accustomed to. Times have changed, and rapidly, too. The cabinet's task is enormous. Illusions unwelcome.
Consider a few cabinet challenges. Begin with food security and prices. In our hurry to become a nation of manufacturers, we neglected our agricultural sector. A nation that doesn't grow enough food must import it at a high cost. The latest number is quite numbing: Malaysia imports 60 per cent of its food needs at a cost of RM60 billion a year. No, we aren't just importing beef, mutton and chicken but also growth-friendly ginger and cabbage. Neglect comes with a price tag, and how punishingly painfully Malaysians are paying for it.
Mohamad Sabu, the agriculture and food security minister, has an unenviable job. We are sure he has no illusions about the enormity of his task. He, like his fellow cabinet ministers, must run before he can walk. Where does he start? At the beginning, really, which is making arable land available. Malaysia may not be like India in terms of arable land, but there is plenty to go around for those who are interested in making farming a living.
But, like in many places in Malaysia, institutions and individuals are giving it to conglomerates rather than small farmers. Little wonder, there is a lack of interest among the youth to be farmers.
And this despite local universities tuning out professional agriculturalists. Having not made it easy for them to take up the hoe, the government shouldn't blame them for their waning interests. Conglomerates have their eyes on export markets, not local ones. Mohamad must stop this to start his food security journey.
Datuk Seri Salahuddin Ayub, the domestic trade and cost of living minister, is in a similar difficult spot. Food prices have been soaring and essential items have been doing their occasional disappearing act. Consider a slice of reality at the grocer's yesterday. A 1.5kg papaya, the common man's fruit, was being retailed at RM14. No shrinking ringgit here, yet the fruit appears to come with imported inflation.
The fruit's trip from the farmer to the grocer sure has some twists and turns that Salahuddin needs to set straight.
Rafizi Ramli, the economy minister, is also between a rock and a hard place. Not only has the political space changed, but also the economic landscape. The Covid-19 pandemic was punishing for many businesses, some of which were forced to shutter.
Today, a war in Ukraine and many geopolitical reverberations later, Malaysia's economy stands challenged like never before. Already, a collection of manufacturers and employers across the country are calling on the government for clarity, certainty, consistency and all the "c's" they can muster.
Granted, their call for a business-friendly economy isn't an unreasonable one. But the economy isn't just about businesses. It is also about consumers. Rafizi needs to balance the interests of both.
Reading the numbers, quarter by quarter, we may be falsely comforted. Not so quick. Global recession is next change. Rafizi may not be able to keep it at bay, but done right, his fine balance would surely blunt it.