DATUK Saifuddin Nasution Ismail, the Domestic Trade and Consumer Affairs (KPDNHEP) Minister is a man pulled in many directions. The first-time minister, like many of his contemporaries, is still getting used to the job, immersing himself in meeting after meeting to get to grips with the different facets of the ministry he is now in charge of.
The reformasi war horse has come a long way. He started his career in politics with Umno in 1990 and was a rising star in the youth wing. But when Datuk Seri Anwar was fired as deputy prime minister and deputy president in 1998, Saifuddin stood by him – which got him sacked from Umno too and he went on to be one of the founders of Parti Keadilan Nasional.