KUALA LUMPUR – Could the dissatisfaction among politicians in the unity government and public criticism over the Community Communications Department’s (J-Kom) efficacy result in a new director-general?
Would Datuk Mohammad Agus Yusoff be one of those transferred out of the department amid the reshuffle of the government’s strategic communications?
Among his critics is Johor’s Skudai assemblywoman Marina Ibrahim, who proposed that Agus be replaced, following J-Kom’s failure in disseminating information on government policies, especially people-centric initiatives.
Marina, who is Johor DAP’s assistant publicity secretary, tweeted that the federal government has introduced numerous benefits and incentives to assist the people, but these efforts have not been effectively communicated to the public.
Meanwhile, Agus did not want to comment on the matter when contacted by Scoop.
The former University Kebangsaan Malaysia lecturer said he did not have any right in commenting on the issue.
“I don’t want to answer any questions as I have been asked to not say anything, so I don’t want to give any comment,” he said.
In July, J-Kom was criticised after releasing an infographic which stated that a household expenditure for a family is less than RM400 a month, while the spending of a single individual is about RM200 a month.
The infographic garnered fierce public backlash as many described it as unrealistic because the expenditure did not take into account necessities such as sugar, milk, and vegetables.
The infographic, which was shared on J-Kom social media platforms, was deleted after 48 hours. – August 14, 2023