Ministries get new names under new PM

PETALING JAYA: Some of the names of the ministries have been changed in the Cabinet of Prime Minister Datuk Seri Anwar Ibrahim.

This was unveiled when he announced his full Cabinet line-up at Putrajaya yesterday.

This is believed to be an effort to further compact the portfolios in line with Anwar’s promise that he will be unveiling a leaner Cabinet compared to the past two governments.

Some of the names were shortened while some had added terms to show that the ministerial portfolio would be wider and more general in their coverage.

The Housing and Local Government Ministry is now only known as the Local Government Ministry.

The Tourism, Arts and Culture Ministry is now known simply as the Tourism Ministry.

The Economy Ministry now seems to be a wider encompassing portfolio and is a full ministry on its own and not under the Prime Minister’s Department now.

This differs from the last government where economic affairs were handled by a minister under the Prime Minister’s Department.

The former Agriculture and Food Industries Ministry has one word replaced, with the word “industries” now replaced with “security” instead. It is now known as Agriculture and Food Security Ministry.

The Digital Communications Ministry now replaces what was the Communications and Multimedia Ministry.

The Environment, Natural Resources and Climate Change replaces the name of the former Environment and Water Ministry.

The Rural and Regional Development is now believed to have combined the portfolios of two ministries in the past government – the Rural Development Ministry and the Federal Territories Ministry.

Among those that remained unchanged are the Home, Religious Affairs, Foreign Affairs, Transport and Entrepreneur Development and Cooperative ministries.