Malaysia cabinet reshuffle expected to shake up administration with new faces, 1 minister dropped

The last time Malaysia saw a cabinet reshuffle was under former prime minister Najib Razak, who reshuffled his cabinet three times in 2014, 2015 and 2016 before his defeat in the 2018 elections.

As it stands, Anwar’s cabinet is composed of 28 ministers including himself, plus an additional 27 deputy ministers.

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Political analyst Bridget Welsh said a reboot was necessary to move the cabinet away from one centred on Anwar to one composed of stronger team players.

“It’s not about the ministries,” Welsh told This Week in Asia when asked which of the 28 ministries was lagging.

Announced on December 3 last year, the original composition of the so-called Unity Government cabinet was a compromise made by Anwar, who was only able to form a government by putting together a cautious coalition with a former nemesis in Barisan Nasional as well as their strong allies in East Malaysia, who have traditionally been averse to Anwar’s camp, particularly the Democratic Action Party component.

Barisan Nasional was also a key player in the collapse of the 2018 Pakatan Harapan government – led by Mahathir Mohamad – which triggered the ensuing political crises that saw the rise and fall of two subsequent administrations; Muhyiddin Yassin’s and Ismail Sabri Yaakob’s.

Malaysia’s Deputy Prime Minister Ahmad Zahid Hamidi pictured in September smiles as he leaves court after being acquitted of 47 charges of breach of trust, corruption and money laundering. Photo: AFP

The situation led to public disgruntlement with the cabinet, with the appointment of scandal-tainted Barisan Nasional chief Ahmad Zahid Hamidi as one of Anwar’s two deputy prime ministers, casting doubt over his claim of being tough against corruption.

His vindication from the 47 corruption charges – which were dropped by the prosecution – further bolstered the perception that Ahmad Zahid was being given a respite in return for keeping his camp behind Anwar.

Public perception dipped further after the prime minister took the finance portfolio for himself, which went against a pledge previously made by his Pakatan Harapan coalition to bar prime ministers from holding other portfolios.

The rule was established to safeguard the country from the prime minister having “emperor-like” power, as seen under Najib Razak with the 1MDB corruption scandal. Najib was similarly both prime and finance minister.

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Mahathir Mohamad in 2018 gave up his initial plan of simultaneously holding the education portfolio after facing public outcry.

While a reshuffle will be welcomed, the idea of a bigger cabinet is not popular with the Malaysian public who will compare their country’s cabinet to others such as Britain’s, with 22 members, and the US’s, with 25.

Previous cabinets under Muhyiddin Yassin and Ismail Sabri both had 32 ministers and 38 deputies.

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Малайзия Политика