Husni resigns, Noh Omar made minister

KUALA LUMPUR: Prime Minister Datuk Seri Najib Tun Razak on Monday named Selangor Umno chief Tan Sri Noh Omar as Urban Wellbeing, Housing and Local Government Minister.

The other new minister Najib named was Deputy Finance Minister Datuk Johari Abdul Ghani who has been elevated to Second Finance Minister, replacing Datuk Seri Ahmad Husni Hanadzlah who has resigned.

Najib said Gerakan president Datuk Seri Mah Siew Keong has been appointed Plantation Industries and Commodities Minister, replacing Datuk Seri Douglas Uggah Embas, with Silam MP Datuk Datu Nasrun Datu Mansur as his deputy. (Uggah who resigned to contest in the Sarawak elections was then appointed as one of the three deputy Sarawak chief ministers.)

Former Urban Wellbeing, Housing and Local Government Minister Datuk Abdul Rahman Dahlan has been moved to head the Economic Planning Unit.

From left: Rahman Dahlan, Johari Ghani, Mah Siew Keong and Noh Omar

Najib announced the changes at a press conference at about 3.25pm.

The Prime Minister said Husni informed him of his wish to retire, "so I respect that. He is quite ready to retire.”

He added that although there were no women in the reshuffle, they could be included at some point in time.

Najib said that Datuk Lee Chee Leong (now Deputy International Trade and Industry Minister and MCA vice-president) will take over as Deputy Finance Minister along with Datuk Othman Aziz.

The other new deputy ministers are:

PBB's Lawas MP Datuk Henry Sum Agong (Domestic Trade, Co-operatives and Consumerism);

MCA vice-president Chua Tee Yong (International Trade and Industry Minister);

MIC deputy president Datuk Seri S.K. Devamany (Prime Minister’s Department)

This Cabinet reshuffle is the third since Najib retained his position as prime minister after the 13th General Election.

After arranging his Cabinet following the elections, the Pekan MP first reshuffled his cabinet in June 2014.

His Cabinet, the biggest in the Malaysian history was then reshuffled again in July 2015 when deputy prime minister, Tan Sri Muhyiddin Yassin, was replaced by Home Minister Datuk Seri Dr Ahmad Zahid Hamidi.