“RM2.3 billion was allocated to outsourcing. They term it a public-private partnership. There is a lot of money there for the government to integrate resources,” said Chee Han, who is curious as to how the money will be spent, adding that people will be happy when the overcrowding in hospitals is solved.

“I think she is concerned about overcrowding in healthcare facilities and is trying to find ways to overcome it,” he said, adding that when a minister shows her political view on an issue, things can be done.

Her concern about health workers’ working hours and the recent town hall session with contract doctors who were about to go on strike, in which they were allowed to voice out their issues, are also things that work in the minister’s favour, he said.

Chee Han notes that the amount allocated in Budget 2023 is not much more - about RM187 million more - than what was proposed by the previous government.

“There’s also some allocation for repairs to hospitals and government clinics. The announcement of new hospitals has been something in the pipeline for a while now,” he said

He said the fact that Zaliha is responsive about things that go on in the health sector such as a patient being denied treatment based on the way they were dressed says a lot about the minister.

He is eagerly awaiting the Health White Paper, started by Zaliha’s predecessor Khairy Jamaluddin, which she promised to table in Parliament this June. Another white paper she said she will be tabling is on the procurement of vaccines by the previous government.

Chee Han said both he and Zaliha worked together in the Health Ministry. As a politician, she has the advantage because she knows what is going on first-hand.

“She has not made any major mistakes. She is still learning on the job. There are a lot of promises made in the Pakatan Harapan manifesto that she has to look into,” he said.

Important amendments to Constitution

Sevan Doraisamy, Suara Rakyat Malaysia (Suaram) executive director, said on the human rights front, there have been some policy developments.

He cited the approval of proposed amendments to the Federal Constitution to enable Malaysian mothers to confer citizenship on their overseas-born children; the setup of the Children’s Commission as an independent statutory body to promote and protect the rights, welfare, and wellbeing of children; as well as the expected tabling of the bill related to the abolition of the mandatory death penalty this March and the Freedom of Information Act in Parliament this October.

“In addition, efforts are carried out by the Home Ministry to address the issue of deaths in custody, including amending the 1953 Lockup Rules and developing standard operating guidelines to improve the management of detainees, as well as study the proposal of affixing a “Hospital or Custody” notice on every police car as a reminder to send ill or injured detainees to the hospital for treatment,” said Sevan.

Other proposals that the government has committed to look into that deserve recognition include potential amendments to the Communications and Multimedia Act 1998 to provide better protection to children and women against online sexual violence, as well as draft legislation to increase accessibility to treatment and rehabilitation of drug offenders.

“Whilst we acknowledge engagement efforts by the government with civil society and the expected tabling of the Freedom of Information Act, such efforts are not consistent unless they are accompanied by improvements to existing laws.

“On that note, we would like to see the government commit to the abolishment of the Sedition Act 1948 and Section 233 of the Communications & Multimedia Act 1998 which have been used on a longstanding basis to criminalise those who are critical of the government.

“Until these provisions are abolished, a moratorium can be imposed as a firm step towards the effective enjoyment of and ability to exercise the right to freedom of expression,” said Sevan.

Rights of Orang Asli

Colin Nicholas, the Center for Orang Asli Concerns coordinator said, “If you look at Anwar’s political moves so far, he is obviously trying to appease the governments in Sabah and Sarawak, especially Sarawak. But that’s mainly because he needs them to be in power, to be part of the unity government.

“Directing your attention more to Sabah and Sarawak does not mean you’re directing your attention to the people of Sabah and Sarawak, the marginalised people, the people who need it most.”

He pointed out that one of the promises made in the Pakatan Harapan manifesto was to uphold the rights of the indigenous people of Sabah, Sarawak, and Orang Asli including traditional lands and customary rights.

“So despite all this, giving out things to Sabah and Sarawak, he has not done anything for the real core items that matter to the people on the ground, the indigenous communities,” said Nicholas.

He said there is talk of an amendment to the Orang Asli Act by Deputy Prime Minister Ahmad Zahid Hamidi.

“I fear that it’s going to make it worse for Orang Asli because the deputy prime minister has said that he’s going to be revamping the act, reforming the act and so on, and more importantly, to put it in line with the National Land Code.

“The National Land Code amendments in 2007 do not give Orang Asli rights, they take away rights, especially to their traditional territories.

“We don’t expect him (Anwar) to do much in 100 days, nobody expects that. But his focus seems to be on the macro level, on getting states and indigenous states, Sabah and Sarawak, to come on board, to be on his side, but in reality, for them means for the government of the day, not for the people of those areas.“

Nicholas recalled that before becoming prime minister it was easy to meet Anwar and work closely with him on environmental and Orang Asli issues.

“He knows the problems, but he has many things on his plate. I don’t expect him to take the lead,” said Nicolas who hopes that Anwar will direct those in charge to help the Orang Asli based on what he has discussed with their representatives in the past.

Do more for migrant workers, refugees

When it comes to the plight of refugees, Ramachelvam is a little disappointed.

“There has been no significant reform by the Anwar administration with respect to refugees and asylum seekers in Malaysia.

“There is no policy to ratify the 1951 convention relating to the status of refugees or its 1967 protocol. Refugees and asylum seekers continue to be detained in immigration detention centres (IDCs) since Sept 2019; as the United Nations High Commissioner for Refugees (UNHCR) has been denied access to the IDCs since Sept 2019,” he said.

Ramachelvam said there is no policy framework to deal with the issue of refugees and asylum seekers in Malaysia.

He suggests the Anwar administration immediately put in place a policy that provides refugees and asylum seekers the right to work, the right to education for their children, affordable healthcare, recognition of documents pertaining to their status, and assurance that no refugee or asylum seekers including children are held in IDCs.

He also wants the UNHCR to be allowed immediate access to IDCs to carry out refugee status determination.

Support arts scene

Arts, Live Festivals, and Events Association (Alife) chairperson P Rajagopal said the most important thing Anwar has done is bring people hope and inspiration to restore the spirit of unity, resilience, and international respect.

“My personal hope is to get more support for the music and live events industry.

“This means industry-driven approval guidelines to assist the growth and creativity of the industry, as well as a competitive entertainment tax structure, so Malaysia becomes a preferred destination for touring acts, as well as provide grants or land to the private sector to build entertainment-purposed venues.”

Book publisher Amir Muhammad was more languid. He said: “It seems to be business as usual. At the KL Alternative Bookfest, we have daily visits from Home Ministry looking for “undesirable content”. Plus I had another book banned!”

Amir was referring to the book ‘Aku’ which was banned by the Home Ministry recently along with two other books ‘The Tale of Steven’ and, ‘Jacob’s Room To Choose’, as they were deemed to be harmful to Malaysian morals.

On another note, Amir said, “But this sure beats having (PAS president) Abdul Hadi Awang in an influential position.”

Penangites have spoken

Koris Atan, the president of the Penang Consumer Protection Association, vice president of the Federation of Malaysian Consumer Associations (Fomca), and president of the Malaysian Alliance of Tobacco-Free Organisations said he believes Anwar is a good prime minister.

However, he is disappointed there are no cabinet ministers from Penang.

“Anwar is more innovative, more forward-thinking, and he can do better. He listens to the people,” said Koris.

He admits to being a DAP supporter, not a member, and Penang is the one state that is controlled by DAP since 2008. He said many DAP supporters in Penang would like to see a DAP member from Penang given a minister post.

For now, there is only one deputy minister in the Prime Minister’s Department (Law and Institutional Reform) Ramkarpal Singh who hails from Penang.

Going for gold

Veteran sports writer Graig Martyn Nunis was disappointed by the sports allocation at the recent Budget 2023.

“The sports budget lacks clarity and specificity. RM324 million but for such a wide range of activities. No breakdown of who gets what and how. After three months, not much to show. The government seems stuck in second gear.

“Having said that, I want him to succeed as that can only be good for Malaysia. Just need to see more action,” said Graig.