Leaner Cabinet should not be too small, says Umno info chief

PETALING JAYA: The size of the new Cabinet should not be too small so that each ministry does not need to bear a heavy load, says Umno information chief Isham Jalil (pic).

He noted that reducing the Cabinet's size would mean that some ministries will be combined, and this may cause complications in carrying out duties if the scope or jurisdiction of a particular ministry is increased.

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He suggested that the Cabinet be trimmed by just three ministers, from 31 previously to 28.

"In our laws, there are things called secondary legislation and representative legislation where we enact laws in Parliament for primary legislation but ... a lot is left to a minister's discretion in terms of secondary and representative legislation.

"If (a minister has too many areas to cover) due to the merging of ministries, then the checks and balances are not efficient and the minister will be burdened," he said during a programme on Astro Awani on Tuesday (Nov 29).

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Isham said a small Cabinet may not necessarily bring a large benefit in terms of cost savings.

“Even if the number of ministers is reduced, the number of civil servants and government assets remain the same.

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"Maybe the money to (pay) ministers can be saved, but if only one or two ministers are trimmed and each minister's salary is around RM50,000, the amount is not very significant," he added.

New Prime Minister Datuk Seri Anwar Ibrahim had earlier pledged a smaller Cabinet than previous administrations, as well as reduced ministerial salaries.