COMMENT | What's the ideal size of a cabinet?

COMMENT | About a decade ago, I suggested to opposition leader Anwar Ibrahim that should he become prime minister, he should be brave enough to scale down the size of the federal cabinet.

I told him such is possible as the Federal Constitution has put the matter within the prerogatives of a sitting prime minister. The civil service on the other hand is beyond his reach as its position is more entrenched in Federal Constitution.

On top of that, civil service is predominantly Malay and given the political landscape now any attempt to reform the civil service would instantly become a backlash.

With that in mind, it was indeed a delight to hear him saying in Tambun, Perak last week that he would trim down the size of the federal cabinet, at present widely seen as too big and indeed a bloated one.

Before we go further, it is perhaps necessary to take note of the nature of the federal government which in general consists of members of the administration - namely the elected politicians who sit in the cabinet as ministers and deputy ministers or parliamentary secretaries - and what is termed as the public service, generally called the civil servants....