Totally clueless Nation MAHAGURUMAHATIR SLYFOXED I KUGANED ABDULLAH NAJIB WAS CROWNED Muhyiddin flying high

Totally clueless Nation MAHAGURUMAHATIR SLYFOXED I KUGANED ABDULLAH NAJIB WAS CROWNED  Muhyiddin flying high Deputy Prime Minister Tan Sri Muhyiddin Yassin never dreamt of achieving such a high position in life.

“It’s a trust and not a privilege that the leadership has in me. And I will have to do my best,” he told reporters after attending a tahlil session at Prime Minister Datuk Seri Najib Tun Razak’s official residence Sri Satria here last night.

Asked how he felt about his new appointments as Deputy Prime Minister and Education Minister, Muhyiddin, 62, said: “I don’t know how or what to feel. It’s such a high position. My focus now will be on doing my best. There is a lot of responsibility because as DPM, I will also sit on a lot of committees and as an Education Minister, I also have a lot to do.”

He said although most of his previous portfolios had been business-focused, he was confident of doing a good job in education as he expected cooperation from the heads of departments, teachers and the public.

“The question now is to take education to a higher level of excellence, raise quality and look after the welfare of those in the profession. But I can only map out what I want to carry out after I have been briefed by my officers,” he said.

On the Cabinet line-up, Muhyiddin said it was a “strong Cabinet”, whose members would work as a team at the highest level.

He described it as a “people’s Cabinet”, and the introduction of Key Performance Indicators (KPIs) would keep all Cabinet members on their toes.

“It has to be an effective Cabinet that stresses on the impact it will have on the people.

“I feel the people will receive it well. The introduction of KPIs is new but it has been in place in the private sector for years,” Muhyiddin said, adding that the KPIs were about setting targets and achieving them.

On the setting up of an economic council, Muhyiddin said it would report directly to the Prime Minister and members would not be politicians but corporate leaders.

“Whoever is appointed as chairman will be the one given the ministerial status,” he said, adding that the council was different from the current National Economic Action Council in the sense that it would consist of economic experts from the corporate sector.(AP) - Malaysian Prime Minister Najib Razak unveiled a new 28-member cabinet yesterday, offering a snub to his predecessor, Abdullah Badawi, and a sign of deference to elder statesman Mahathir Mohamad along the way.

Mr Abdullah's son-in-law, Khairy Jamaluddin, was not given any cabinet or deputy minister's post even though he was elected the head of Umno's powerful youth wing last month.

The United Malays National Organisation is the dominant party in the ruling National Front coalition and traditionally, the Umno youth chief has handled the Ministry of Youth and Sports.

Mr Khairy had defeated former prime minister Dr Mahathir's son Mukhriz for the post, prompting Dr Mahathir to accuse Mr Khairy openly of bribing party delegates to win.

But it was Mr Mukhriz who was rewarded yesterday. He was named deputy minister of international trade, one of 40 deputy ministers.

Mr Najib, who retained the Finance Ministry for himself as he embarks on an ambitious reform programme, brought in seven first-time ministers.

In another major change, Mr Najib named Koh Tsu Koon, the leader of a minority party in the ruling coalition, as a minister in the Prime Minister's Department in charge of national unity. The appointment of an ethnic Chinese to head a newly created post dealing with social issues is a reflection of the importance Mr Najib has placed on healing a sense of alienation among the Chinese and Indian ethnic minorities in the Malay Muslim-majority country.

"The clear message is that everyone wants a government that is responsive to the needs of the people today," Mr Najib said.

Mr Najib, who took office last Friday, has pledged to carry out wide-ranging reforms, a task Mr Abdullah failed to carry out despite making similar promises when he took office in October 2003.

Mr Abdullah's lacklustre rule was largely blamed for the National Front's poor results in the March 2008 general elections. He stepped down as prime minister and leader of Umno last month.

Despite reports he would create a much smaller cabinet than Mr Abdullah's, Mr Najib's lineup is only four ministers fewer. He abolished two ministries but created a new one for green energy and water.