The media presence of Pakatan Harapan ministers
Pakatan Harapan (PH) is currently at its 14th month as Malaysia government since it defeated Barisan Nasional (BN) on May 9 last year.
Comparing the performances of six PH ministers, Salahuddin Ayub, Maszlee Malik, Dzulkefly Ahmad, Gobind Singh Deo, Anthony Loke and Syed Saddiq, only the Minister of Health experienced an increase in his exposure in June.
However, the Education Minister have the strongest presence in the mainstream media for the first half of 2019. Nevertheless, Maszlee is known to be making controversial statements and decisions. For example, there the black socks and black shoes implementation, usage of hotel pools for swimming lessons, his appointment as IIUM president and many more.
Focusing on June, it appears that Maszlee is no longer under the limelight. He was way under the radar in June compared to the previous months.
Dzulkefly who had the best media exposure in that month primarily because of the Pasir Gudang air pollution. Whereas, Maszlee was quiet on the air pollution despite five students was hospitalized. During the Pasir Gudang crisis in March, Mazlee was active in addressing the issue; leading to the temporary closure of all 111 schools in the district.
Additionally, the air pollution was not the only matter that Dzulkefly addressed. He also handled on the measle outbreak that affected the Bateq community at Kuala Koh and the plan for policy change to decriminalise drug possession for personal use.
Surprisingly, Youth and Sports Minister Syed Saddiq who is known for his popularity was under the radar lately. So does the Minister of Transport Anthony Loke who has been active in making policy changes in the previous months; such as new window tint regulations and it is compulsory for e-hailing drivers to have Public Service Vehicle (PSV) license.
Besides, the government has been facing backlash for their performance; did not fulfil the promises made in PH manifesto and for making U-turn decision when making policies. Are these ministers doing enough in performing their duties?