Reezal Merican: Respect prerogative of PM to appoint Cabinet minister

DENGKIL: All parties should respect the prerogative of the Prime Minister in appointing a Cabinet minister as enshrined in the Federal Constitution, says Datuk Seri Reezal Merican Naina Merican.

The Housing and Local government Minister said Datuk Seri Ismail Sabri Yaakob is a consultative person, especially on the appointment of a Cabinet minister.

"The appointment and dropping of a minister is the prerogative of the Prime Minister. This is enshrined in Article 43(2)(b) of the Federal Constitution.

"If possible on the question (of Cabinet minister appointment), we should place our trust in the Prime Minister and let him decide.

"We will leave it to him, as he has the wisdom for he was the Prime Minister who succeeded in creating a Memorandum of Understanding (MOU) which was unprecedented,” he said when asked by reporters about the appointment of a Cabinet minister following the move by Plantation Industries and Commodities Minister Datuk Zuraida Kamaruddin to join Parti Bangsa Malaysia (PBM).

He was speaking to reporters after the presentation of the Malaysia Book of Records (MBOR) recognition to LBS Bina Group Berhad (LBS) here.

Yesterday, the Ampang MP announced that she was joining PBM and would be meeting Ismail Sabri soon to discuss her resignation as a minister.

Following that, Bersatu president Tan Sri Muhyiddin Yassin said the party would be submitting a new name to the Prime Minister soon for the appointment of a Cabinet member to replace Zuraida who quit the party.

Muhyiddin said the move is taken as Zuraida’s position as Plantation Industries and Commodities Minister was on the party’s quota.

At the ceremony, Reezal Merican witnessed the handing over of the MBOR certificate, which is the developer company with the most number of sample houses in the sales gallery for housing projects, to LBS.

The MBOR certificate was handed over by MBOR chief operating officer Christopher Wong to LBS executive chairman Tan Sri Lim Hock San. - Bernama