Tony Pua prefers to be the unofficial Finance Minister

(MMO) – DAP’s Tony Pua said today he was not a Cabinet minister because he preferred to work behind the scenes as Finance Minister Lim Guan Eng’s special officer.

Pua, who has been speaking out on the corruption scandal around state investment firm 1Malaysia Development Berhad (1MDB), said he had a lot of satisfaction working in the Finance Ministry compared to taking a ministerial or deputy ministerial position in another portfolio.

“It is not the case that I’ve been neglected by the party, the party doesn’t want me, or whatever. I typed that list myself,” news portal Malaysiakini quoted Pua as telling a forum in Petaling Jaya, referring to DAP’s list of proposed ministers.

The Damansara MP said no one person could run the Finance Ministry because it was really big.

“The minister is unfortunately in a position where he has to do a lot of formal functions: He has to meet foreign ambassadors, he has to attend Cabinet meetings; he has to do a lot of these things where a lot of the grunt work, you’d need a separate team to take care of it,” said Pua, who is DAP publicity chief.

“(We need to) work with ministry officials, look at policies, look at issues. I think me being there helps a lot so that things can run faster. That’s the happy choice that I’ve made.”

Pua also said not appointing ministers or deputy ministers through the “backdoor” via senatorial appointments, a practice by the previous Barisan Nasional government, should not be an “absolute rule”.

He said some qualified candidates could lose an election because they ran in a tough seat due to the first-past-the-post system.

Liew Chin Tong, who lost the Ayer Hitam race in the 14th general election to MCA deputy president Datuk Seri Wee Ka Siong, was appointed deputy defence minister after the Johor DAP leader was made senator.

“He did it for a reason,” Pua said, referring to Liew’s decision to run in Ayer Hitam.

“He did it to make sure that Johor is a real front line. He needed to do it to show that we are serious about winning, I think his sacrifice should be — not rewarded — but noted and should be taken into context.”