Reflecting on his time so far as deputy minister for international trade and industry, Ong said the manifesto is the “only document and reference point” for Pakatan Harapan (PH) in terms of its objectives.
“While the prime minister and his Cabinet have and will come up with new policy decisions based on current political and economic circumstances, we cannot and should not depart from the core principles of the PH manifesto.
“(The PH manifesto) includes a commitment to greater transparency, institutional reform, a more competitive economy and looking after the needs of the marginalised,” Ong said in a lengthy post on Facebook today.
The Bangi MP said while some promises like reforming the Election Commission and Parliament are being carried out, others will have to wait until the country is in better financial standing.
“(But) while we may not be able to deliver on all of the promises, we must, at the very least, be committed to try and then explain why some of them cannot be done within this election cycle.
“These are the deliverables which we have to focus on before the 15th general election because this is what the voters will judge us on,” he said.
Among others, the Pakatan Harapan (PH) government has failed to buy back toll concessions, allow National Higher Education Fund Corporation debtors to repay loans only after earning RM4,000 a month, and returning to Sabah 40% of revenue derived from the state.
Prime Minister Dr Mahathir Mohamad had said PH was having a hard time fulfilling its election pledges as it made “too many promises”, believing it would not win the May 9 polls. The manifesto was also based on information available to PH at the time.
Ong cited policy areas with “ingrained interests” with the corporate sector as another reason why some promises could not be fulfilled. He said PH must exercise its leadership in finding the best ways to navigate this and put its policies in place.
“In other areas which are not covered in the PH manifesto, there is much room for each minister and deputy to work together to lead their respective ministries in new policy directions and to address new challenges.
“In my own ministry, the US-China trade war brings a new set of challenges to the table but also presents new opportunities in terms of attracting investors who want to diversify their operation locations and are looking at countries in Southeast Asia.”
Ong said his resolutions for 2019 also included having periodic reviews of ministry goals, taking criticism into account and finding opportunities for inter-ministry work.
Ong, who was a policy analyst before becoming a politician, said a proper communications strategy was needed with tailor-made messages for specific media, adding most were unaware of what was happening in the ministries.
“I must admit, I issue far fewer media statements than I used to when I was an opposition MP. Some of this is because of the workload and some of it is due to the sensitive nature of the information we possess in government.
“Not everything can and should be put out for public consumption but moving forward in 2019, this is one area which I want to re-focus my efforts on, especially to tell a more compelling narrative on what the ministry and its agencies are doing.”
Apart from this, Ong said that Cabinet members should not get caught up with the VIP treatment they get as guests of honour at public functions.
He also urged ministers and their deputies to have a good grasp of data and statistics relevant to their ministries, adding that they were useful when replying to supplementary questions in Parliament.
He also encouraged external input for new policy ideas, including from think tanks, industry players, academics and consultants.