KUCHING: While each person may have varying ideas on what attributes make a prime minister, it is fair to say that potential candidates should possess a wide range of qualities in playing such a significant role.
For supervisor Leandro Mcrae, 24, the most important characteristics of a prime minister candidate are integrity, accountability, and vision.
“Integrity is the foundation of character. A person who has integrity also has an unblemished character in every area of his life. That is why integrity is important,” he said.
Accountability, he said, helped to build trust and improve performance. “Being accountable for something means that you are willing to make commitments and be responsible for your own actions.”
As a leader, he said that a prime minister must have vision in order to be able to look forward and see where the country was headed.
“I still give my full support to interim Prime Minister Tun Dr Mahathir Mohamad because he is a visionary leader with accountability and integrity. A leader like him is not only rare but precious as well,” remarked Leandro.
Meanwhile, account executive Azfarina Masri, 29, believed that a prime minister should have a keen understanding of the multicultural status of a country.
“A candidate should also have credibility and courage. They should be prepared to take risks when no one else will,” she told New Sarawak Tribune.
She added that they should also have a strong presence in the global scene and be able to conduct dialogues with other nations and gain the respect of other leaders.
She said that in her lifetime, she had only experienced three prime ministers in the history of Malaysia, namely Dr Mahathir, Tun Abdullah Ahmad Badawi, and Datuk Seri Najib Razak.
“I would say that Dr Mahathir is the best Prime Minister for Malaysia as he brought about more positive changes compared to the other two,” opined Azfarina.
Communications officer Amanda Nayra, 31, said that a prime minister should know what was best for the country.
Listing some supporting examples, she said, “They should appoint qualified individuals to the ministerial portfolio, emphasise on racial and religious tolerance, and have equal development in all states regardless of which party the state votes for.”
She added that they should also strive to stabilise the Malaysian economy and reduce the inflation rate.
University fresh graduate Muhammad Shafiq Firdaus Rizal said that in the current chaotic political scenario, all he could see was some MPs trying very hard to show that they were qualified to be the next prime minister.
“So, I will just wait for the King (Yang di-Pertuan Agong Al-Sultan Abdullah Ri’ayatuddin Al-Mustafa Billah Shah) to make his decision for a better Malaysia,” he said.
