Sin Chew Daily

As the country is taking the brunt of the coronavirus outbreak, many sectors have been badly hit, in particular the tourism industry. Unfortunately this country has witnessed an untimely political commotion, triggering uncertainty in the market even as Tan Sri Muhyiddin Yassin has been appointed the country's eighth prime minister.

In view of this, Bank Negara has announced to lower the overnight policy rate (OPR) by 25 basis points to 2.5%, the lowest since May 2010.

When the country is facing political uncertainty and the public health comes under unprecedented challenge, our public service team has done its utmost to ensure that the national machinery continues to run optimally. Technocrats in the country's public service system have exhibited their exemplary professional management ability, attesting to the reality that there are indeed efficient, devoted and high-caliber civil servants in Malaysia.

Although the service level at service counters in many government departments leaves much to be desired, the exceptional performance of various divisions of major government department has allowed this whole country to operate seamlessly at all times.

With threats from the coronavirus hovering above us, health ministry technocrats under the superb leadership of the health director-general continue to conscientiously battle the deadly virus in the absence of a general-in-chief. They remain loyal to the responsibilities laid upon their shoulders, constantly monitoring the situation and taking timely actions to curtail the spread of the virus.

Additionally, the former Pakatan Harapan government had drawn up an economic stimulus package to address the woes of Malaysians as a consequence of the viral outbreak, but before it managed to release the package, the government fell. That said, with the relentless effort of finance ministry officials, the stimulus package was finally unveiled in time, although the package might fall short of public expectations, with major business organizations citing many deficiencies.

Nevertheless, civil servants should not be made to bear all the responsibilities. Several major portfolios such as health and economic affairs need to have ministers in control. The importance of ministers lie with the fact that they have the power to make political decisions and major decision-making responsibilities need to be borne by them.

With the country's economy now facing a veritable downward pressure, various sectors are in urgent need of timely assistance from the government to help them weather the hostile environment. It is imperative that PM Muhyiddin appoint a finance minister as soon as possible to oversee the execution of financial policies, and we feel that this new finance minister should be picked from highly capable professionals outside the Parliament and political circle. He or she must possess professional financial management background and is able to draw up policies from a more macroscopic perspective and effectively manage the country's finances in order to bring greater well-being to the rakyat.

Even though the health ministry is not a key decision-making portfolio, at a crucial moment of battling the coronavirus, especially with the emergence of a super-spreader here in Malaysia now, the appointment of a health minister has come all the more important. We saw 14 new confirmed COVID-19 cases yesterday and five more today, and the risks of viral spread will invariably be heightened without a minister taking charge. As such, Muhyiddin must appoint a health minister as soon as possible. Similarly, this minister must be one with respectable professional background.

In short, the appointment of suitably qualified people to helm the finance, economic affairs and health ministries should be the priority task of the new prime minister. These ministries cannot go without generals who will lead the momentous mission of tackling the country's current challenges.