{
  "id": 9656610,
  "title": "Menilai semula peranan menteri dalam politik semasa",
  "url": "https://urgent.news/2026/09/24/menilai-semula-peranan-menteri-dalam-politik-semasa-9656610",
  "topic": "world",
  "section": "World",
  "published": "2026-09-24T23:00:00.000Z",
  "source": {
    "name": "Free Malaysia Today",
    "slug": "free-malaysia-today",
    "url": "https://www.freemalaysiatoday.com/category/bahasa/pandangan/2026/09/25/menilai-semula-peranan-menteri-dalam-politik-semasa"
  },
  "original_language": "en",
  "account": "In a recent revelation, Loke Siew Fook's offer to relinquish his ministerial role sheds light on a reality often overlooked in open institutional settings. Through his statement, he articulated a fundamental truth: ministers can rotate, yet the continuity of departmental operations remains unchanged. This statement transcends the political scandal that ensnared him, reminding us that a cabinet is not merely a collection of ministers. A minister can step down, switch portfolios, or be removed from office, but the Permanent Secretary (KSU), Director-General, staff, and the entire civil service continue to fulfill their duties. If true, what value should a minister truly bring to a cabinet that can function independently of them? The question is not whether we need ministers. The parliamentary democracy system inherently requires political leadership to provide mandates and direction to national governance. The more pressing question is: for what should we need ministers, what should they do, and where does the boundary lie between political leadership and professional administration? Politics versus administration The genuine role of a minister is not to be the Cabinet Secretary's chief operating officer. Ministers carry a political mandate of the state. They should set direction, determine priorities, lead change, and make foundational decisions when competing interests collide. A manifesto and political promises made before assuming power must be translated into a foundation after the government is formed. In essence, ministers are architects of destiny, not daily operations managers. The KSU, Director-General, and professional staff translate this direction into actionable decisions and execution mechanisms. They gather data, conduct analyses, assess financial and legislative implications, and identify risks. Bureaucracy defines the options and risks. Ministers use their political legitimacy to make decisions. Civil servants possess professional expertise but lack political mandates from voters. Ministers hold political legitimacy but are not necessarily technical experts in every cabinet matter. A good system requires both - expertise without usurping political mandate, and administration without neglecting professionalism. Who should answer? In modern management failures, accountability and operational responsibility are often conflated. When project delays, service disruptions, or agency disputes occur, ministers are often the first to be questioned about every technical detail. Indeed, ministers cannot absolve themselves of portfolio responsibility. However, accountability does not mean taking over functions. If the issue is operational, staff with operational authority should explain what happened, why it happened, and how it will be rectified. The minister, meanwhile, needs to address the larger question: has the system failed, what actions are needed, has the foundation changed, and who should be held accountable? Ministers should not become spokespeople for every bureaucratic failure. But they cannot hide behind bureaucracy when failure reflects deficiencies in the foundation or management of their ministry. Bureaucrats answer to operations. Ministers answer to leadership, foundations, and accountability. A good minister is not a minister who makes all decisions alone. They need professional advisers, including views that may be uncomfortable for them. If each staff member ultimately asks, \"What does the YB want?\", bureaucratic professionalism loses its function. When politics meets ministerial duties This brings us to Loke's second issue. A minister is both a state administration member and a political party member at the same time. Loke's offer to resign is not driven by Transport Minister performance but by his political stance on issues outside his portfolio. It is not uncommon for a minister to take a political stance. Ministers are political party members. However, this raises the question of when a minister's portfolio is wagered on an issue beyond their ministerial performance, where the boundary lies between political responsibility and portfolio responsibility? The principle of ministerial responsibility fundamentally links power with accountability. A minister is given political authority over a portfolio, so they must also be prepared to answer when serious operational or management failures occur in that portfolio. However, political reality sometimes yields different incentives. A minister's position can become more exposed to political polarization than the real performance of their ministry. Therefore, the question is: do we give equal attention to performance accountability as we do to political accountability? Instead of descending to audit performance, another aspect that needs reevaluation is the culture of descending from the podium. No minister can personally inspect every field. It is important for architects not to be trapped in a report that looks good when it reaches Putrajaya. But descending from the podium should not be a spectacle of a minister working. Visits that require many resources, tents, program booklets, waiting lines, and numerous protocols consume resources that should be dedicated to real tasks. If a minister visits a school, for example, the visit should begin with data, not a ceremonial pageant. How do learning outcomes change? What are the student and teacher attendance issues? How is infrastructure utilized?",
  "summary": "Sudah tiba masa ukuran kejayaan seseorang menteri dinilai semula.",
  "key_points": [],
  "editors_take": null,
  "illustration": null,
  "coverage": {
    "outlets": 2,
    "also_reported_by": [
      {
        "outlet": "Free Malaysia Today",
        "title": "Menilai semula peranan menteri dalam politik semasa",
        "url": "https://urgent.news/2026/09/24/menilai-semula-peranan-menteri-dalam-politik-semasa",
        "published": "2026-09-24T23:00:00.000Z"
      }
    ]
  },
  "ai_generated": true,
  "disclaimer": "Summaries, key points and the editor’s take are written by software from other outlets’ reporting and may contain errors — always check the linked original."
}