Shanghai Model United Nations XX 2018 | Research Reports Forum: Crisis Committee Issue: Transition of Power in Malaysia Student Officer: Wesley Chiu Position: Crisis Chair Mohamad Sabu (Minister of Defense) From a culinary graduate to the Minister of Defense, Mat Sabu’s rise in Malaysian politics is widely considered as one of the most bizarre journey. Sabu, unlike many other military personnel, is a charismatic and holistic leader who constantly speaks out racial and religious tensions in Malaysia. Despite not being a typical military officer, Sabu has a grand vision for the Malaysian military. With the deteriorating state of most equipments and the rapidly advancing military technology, Sabu intents to implement a whole scale change in the military by brining in drone aircrafts and introducing the use of Artificial Intelligence into the military. However, understanding that the government is currently on a tight budget, Subu recognizes that his vision might take a certain level of patience before becoming a reality. Mohamed Azmin Ali (Minister of Economic Affairs) While it is true that the Malaysian people has just elected a new Prime Minister, Mohamed Azmin Ali has been tipped to become the long-term solution to Malaysian leadership. A relatively reserved and quiet politician, Azmin has been involved in Malaysian politics for 30 years. Like many other progressive politicians in the current administration, Azmin shares the same worry about religion and racial devision. However, as the head of the Minister of Economic Affairs (a newly created ministry in the current administration), Azmin is more troubled by the economic aftermaths of failed programs such as the BR1M. Azmin has already proposed a new alternative economic plan that focuses entirely on uplifting the poor and benefiting the ones in need. The most drastic change that Azmin brings in his new plan is the near total abolishment of direct monetary assistance. Azmin argues that cash aids has a corruption element and the removal of such a method would result in increased government efqieicny. Ignatius Darell Leiking (Minister of International Trade & Indsutry) Darell Leiking is a vocal supporter of state rights within the Malaysian administration. In the previous years Leiking has been pushing hard for a solution to solving the illegal immigration crisis in Research Report Topic| Page 1 of 4 Shanghai Model United Nations XIX 2017 | Research Reports Malaysia. However, he has also been a vehement critic of discrimination and other discriminatory policies towards ethnic minorities. As the newly appointed Minister of Trade, Leiking sees an opportunity admits the US-China Trade War. Understanding that the Malaysian economy requires serious financial stimulus to reach its economic development goals, Leiking has been pushing hard for China to divert more of their funds to purchasing Malaysian products in hope of reigniting the Malaysian economy. Saifuddin Abdullah (Minister of Foreign Affairs) Saifuddin Abdullah rapid rise to the upper echelon of Malaysian politics remains a mystery to many. First elected in 2008, Adbullah immediately became the Deputy Minister. Adbullah is considered one of the only few liberal progressive politicks in the Najib administration. He constantly criticized his own government and their inhumane approach to political protestors. As the Minister of Foreign Affairs, Adbullah is deeply troubled by racial and religious divides. He has continuously voiced that the silencing of extremism is not a solution to solving the current state of affairs. One of the most pressing issue Adbullah currently faces is Malaysia’s the broken political bond with Saudi Arabia. The withdrawal of Malaysian troops from Saudi-led mission in Yemen is causing a certain level of chaos and uncertainly between the two nations. Yeo Bee Yin (Minister of Energy, Technology, Science, Climate Change & Environment) Yeo Bee Yin, only 35 years of age, is the youngest female minister in the Cabinet. Despite just beginning her political career, her highly impressive background warrants her place in the Cabinet. As a recipient of a scholarship from the Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation, Yeo graduated top of her Chemical Engineering class in Cambridge University. As she was elected as an MP at the tender age of 29, she simultaneously initiated many social programs like “No Excuse to Rape” and founded free tuition centers for students from low-income households. As the Minister of Energy, Yeo sets the new goal of reaching 20% clean energy generation by 2030 and vows to continue reforms on creating a more sustainable and greener energy generation system. Gobind Singh Deo (Minister of Communication & Multimedia) In line with the aim of being more inclusive, Gbind Singh Deo has been named as Malaysia’s first Sikh Federal Minister. As a practicing lawyer, Deo is a vocal critic of the former administration (once suspended by Parliament for 12 months for calling the former Deputy Prime Minister a murderer). As the Minister of Communications, Deo is looking forward to facilitate the growth of several telecommunications Page 2 of 4 | Research Report Topic Shanghai Model United Nations XX 2018 | Research Reports industries. However, he notes that behind the rise of technological improvements, regulations must be drafted to allow a safe and transparent place or all individuals accessing online content. Furthermore, Deo is also an advocate for entrepreneurship and has vowed to work with the education department to improve education on STEM related field. Dr. Xavier Hayakumar Arulanandam (Minister of Water, Land & Natural Resources) Xavier Jayakumar Arslanandam is commonly viewed as a more reserved and less vocal minister in the current Malaysian administration. That, however, does not detract from his effort and commitment into alleviating corruption and racial and religious divides. In particular to the fields of Water, Land and Natural Resource, Arslanandam currently faces several pressing issues that require immediate solutions. It has been reported that around 3% of the country’s population still do not have access to clean water. Hence, Arslanandam has proposed to work with the private sector into getting clean and accessible water sources to those individuals as soon as possible, especially understanding that the required water supply also goes towards the harvesting of crops. Dr. Dzulkefly Ahmad (Minister of Health) Dzulkefly Ahmad is an outspoken and, among many, an experienced figure in the new Malaysian administration. Despite being the Minister of Health, Ahmad is well versed and particularly vocal in issues related to economic development and race relations. In the years he spent as a student in the United Kingdom, Ahmad had been an active social movement leader and an activist for non-governmental organizations. Despite being respected as a pioneering medical scientists in Malaysia, his critics has often accused him of being relatively ignorant and detached in the field of medical care and medical procedures. In the foreseeable future, Ahmad has proposed to allocate more funds into the public health care sector. Ahmad intends to ramp up government spending on human capital development especially focusing on the training of doctors and medical assistant. He is also determined to tackle the issues such as corruption and favoritism within the medical sector. Zuraida Kamaruddin (Minister of Housing & Local Government) Zuraida Kamaruddin has been known as a fearless critic in the Malaysian political arena. Her political critiques spreads across the entire spectrum of government matters and targets both the members of the opposition parties and politicians within her own. As the Minister of Housing and Local Government, Kamaruddin has not shied away from admitting that she would continue beneficial policies Research Report Topic| Page 3 of 4 Shanghai Model United Nations XIX 2017 | Research Reports from the previous administration. Nevertheless, Kamaruddin intents to drastically cut government projects in an attempt to avoid overlapping of tasks causing monetary wastage. In order to solve to issue of increased housing prices, Kamaruddin, along with the Prime Minister, has initiated amendments to the My Second Home Program that entitles foreign buyers to purchase real estate properties in Malaysia. Page 4 of 4 | Research Report Topic .