Azmin, Mat Sabu, Kula give reactions to their new Ministers' posts

Datuk Seri Azmin Ali. -The Star filepic

PETALING JAYA: Datuk Seri Mohamed Azmin Ali said he will be clarifying his dual roles as Selangor Mentri Besar and the newly appointed Economic Affairs Minister as he will be unable to hold both positions at once.

He will meet Prime Minister Tun Dr Mahathir Mohamad as soon as possible and have an audience with the Sultan of Selangor tomorrow to determine if he will remain at the helm of the Selangor state government or go to work with the federal government in Putrajaya.

Meanwhile, Defence Minister Datuk Mohamad Sabu said he had a very heavy responsibility on his shoulders.

As a Defence Minister, the Kota Raja MP said, he had been given a serious task which would be challenging.

“It is a very important ministry and involves a lot of protocol," he said.

M. Kulasegaran, the newly appointed Human Resources Minister, said he had touched on these issues so frequently throughout his 17 years as MP that at one point years ago, "the (then) Human Resources Minister Fong Chan Oon told me to stop harrassing him!”

The Ipoh Barat MP acknowledged that he had mentioned to DAP leaders that he had a preference for the portfolio but he was told that it would be tough as there was bound to the “competition” for the post.

Now that the post has been confirmed, he said that great challenges were ahead of him.

New Agriculture and Agro-Based Industry Minister Salahuddin Ayub said that he is thankful to the Prime Minister for giving him the opportunity to become a Cabinet Minister. 

"This is the best opportunity for me to reach out to the people," Salahuddin told The Star.

"I will do my best to serve the rakyat, and I hope that all Malaysians will have a good and quality life under the new government," he said.