The role of the Prime Minister

The Prime Minister’s formal constitutional role is to chair the Cabinet, appoint ministers, advise the Governor General, and act as key spokesperson for the government both in Parliament and out.

It is entirely a matter for the PM of the time to decide where to go from that formal role. Some PMs may be very passive chairs of the board, but minority New Zealand Labour Government Prime Minister Helen Clark , three times elected as PM, says, “I don’t happen to be like that.” She describes her style as “Proactive. Direct. Task focused. Open. Gets things done. Not in the job for the position, prestige or glory – of which there is very little – but for the things you can do to make a difference for the better. Am prepared to put an enormous amount of time and effort into getting a good job done. Communicating it.”

Dr Brash, whilst Leader of the Opposition on the eve of the September 2005 General Election defined the role of the Prime Minister. Dr Brash, whilst putting himself before the electorate as a candidate for the role of PM, said a PM is expected to chair the Cabinet, appoint Ministers, advise the Governor-General and act as a spokesperson for the Government.

"But more importantly, the Prime Minister has the main responsibility to project the vision his Government has for the nation" Dr Brash told DecisionMaker.

Dr Brash believes he would be a very proactive and involved Prime Minister.

“I entered politics because I had become worried about the direction our country was taking. I am fighting hard because I believe in this country and I will fight even harder when I become Prime Minister to lead New Zealand back in the right direction”.

Leadership and management is a key aspect of the job. Dr Brash was the Reserve Bank Governor before stepping down to enter politics in 2002. He has had a long a career in management and finance, including five years at the World Bank and as Managing Director of New Zealand Kiwifruit Authority.

“I believe that my proven track record in management and leadership in the cut and thrust of the business and finance worlds proves I am well able to lead New Zealand”.

Dr Brash says he would be a Prime Minister who remains as accessible to, and in touch with, his constituents as much as he has been as Leader of the Opposition. In that regard he will ensure he gets out and about meeting people, perhaps even more than he did as Leader of the Opposition.

“It is crucial that the Prime Minister does not lose touch with the people, because that is the only way to be sure you are acting in their best interests. That is the way I will operate and that is the way any Government led by me will ope

Public policy junkie

Helen Clark had told DecisionMaker early in 2003 that her approach in the Prime Ministership was to take a close interest in the policy of the government. “I’m a public policy junkie!”

If she is to be the most public face of the government, she said, she needs to be very well informed.

“ I have key issues referred to the Cabinet Policy Committee, which I chair myself, so that I can be a key part of shaping the outcome. I keep a very close eye on policy, which I am intensely interested in.”

She also keeps a close eye on ministerial performance – if a minister falters, her approach is to bring others in to help them.

Sometimes a wider range of skills are needed. “Some issues are too tough for the single person and department to wrestle with,” she said.

Meet the people

Helen Clark believes in making herself accessible to a wide range of New Zealanders.

Thus she hears of a lot of things that should be fixed. “I come back and phone ministers in the middle of the night and leave messages on their answer phones! I get my staff to follow them up, and say, “I think this needs to be fixed. What can we do about it?”

She minimises the time spent in ministerial offices in the Beehive in Wellington, so that she can spend more time out in the community at various events and functions, addressing and meeting people, seeing what is happening on the ground, moving around.

“That ensures you always have feedback on how things are. You expose yourself to a wide range of people. You are going to find out what is ticking,” she said.

This Prime Minister is proactive in running the government agenda, and in getting out in the community with a very wide range of organisations.

Communicating vision

Helen Clark said “the leadership and the vision for New Zealand have to come out of the cabinet, the tenth floor of this building. And people do look for leadership. People go off governments where they go off in the wrong direction, and when they see drift. And they will mark both down. If they can see direction and purpose that is broadly consistent with how they feel about the future they would like for their families and their communities, then it is going to work.”

She believes governments must communicate “strategic vision from the centre”, as illustrated in her comments on the case study of blindness prevention advocacy in DecisionMaker How Participation works, second quarter 2003. She uses a pyramid of influence, insisting on a vision the specialist Ministers take on down the line.

“Then if I go out and someone says to me: there is something that was supposed to happen in the action plan, and it has not, then I will be right back to the Minister saying “hang on, this is in our plan, what happened? You chase it back down through.”

Visions from party, people

Helen Clark says that she looks to the public service to implement the ideas that are generated by Parliament.

Policy partly comes from her brain. She is attuned to 32 years of the Labour Party. She says policy comes from the fact that “I and the people around me are constantly talking about ideas, following trends in other social democratic parties and governments. And following very closely how others are meeting the challenges we are trying to meet.”

Since becoming the Prime Minister, Najis is often jet-setting round the world more for pleasure than work.  Najis and Bonsai don't travel cheap, every single trip that crosses water is by the millions and they bring along their 16 troopers minimum sometimes as many as 200 members.  And don't forget the bags that can fill up the plane just for a three days visit.  So imagine if their business cum holiday is a week long.

I don't know how many of you keep track of Najis and Bonsai record breaking trips overseas.  But check it against Muhyiddin's trips.  For it is very clear and of much concern that both the Prime Minister and his Deputy have the habit of being oversea almost the same period or very close to each other.  Thus leaving the country on auto pilot.  AND THAT IS VERY DANGEROUS WHEN MALAYSIA IS THE CHIEF SUPPORTER OF ISRAEL, CENTER FOR TERRORISTS, PIRATES, ILLEGAL MIGRATES, DRUGS, PROSTITUTE, HUMAN TRAFFICKING, SALES OF ILLEGAL ARMS AND MUCH MORE.  

Najis latest dream announce before leaving for Phnom Penh.

PUTRAJAYA: Datuk Seri Najib Razak today announced 20 projects under the Economic Transformation Programme and three Economic Corridors, with cumulative investments totalling RM26.09 billion by 2020.

The Prime Minister said the projects would contribute RM10.07 billion to the Gross National Income (GNI) and create 64,282 jobs.

 

Najib said that 11 key projects under the ETP would contribute RM1.129 billion to the GNI, bring in RM6.68 billion worth of investments and create 40,021 jobs.

 

Nine projects under the Economic Corridor would contribute RM8.95 billion to the GNI, rake in RM19.41 billion investment and create 24,261 jobs, Najib, who is also Finance Minister, said in giving the last ETP progress update for the year.  

 

He said that despite continuing global uncertainties, Malaysia remained an attractive investment destination and its growth remained strong.

 

In the Oil, Gas and Energy National Key Economic Areas (NKEAs), Najib said Seaport Worldwide Sdn Bhd would invest over RM1 billion in developing phase one of the Tanjung Bin Petrochemical and Maritime project.

 

Covering a total development area of 2,255 acres, the area has been gazetted as a Free Trade Zone with a 99-year leasehold tenure, he said.

 

“It will complement other projects in Johor, which will drive Malaysia’s ambition to be Asia-Pacific’s petroleum storage and trading hub,” he said.

 

In the greater Kuala Lumpur NKEA, Nusa Gapurna Development Sdn Bhd will be investing RM5.23 billion in a massive project to regenerate and revitalize the Petaling Jaya old township.

 

"The PJ Sentral Garden City development, which will cover some 40 acres, is poised to be the new green central business district of Selangor, supporting Kuala Lumpur and other business hubs around the city and the state,” he said. -- BERNAMA

Again one must take note that all these projects are BY 2020.  Najis is not the kind of person who can think far.  So again this is just talk, talk just like Gordon Brown who knew that he will lose in the General Election and need not keep his words or promises.

If Najis is serious in his role as Prime Minister he SHOULD STOP ALL LEAKAGE and BRING HOME THE MONEY NOW.  While projects are good news, again we must ask ourselves who gets to benefit all these?  Again we see the cronies of UMNO, Mahathir Kutty, Bonsai and Najis himself.  Then the same old excuse of bringing in more foreign workers leaving the locals to eat sand and grass while the money leave this nation.

AGAIN AND AGAIN THERE ARE FOOLS WHO WANTS TO CONTINUE SUPPORTING THE DEVILS.