Slightly smaller Cabinet unveiled

PUTRAJAYA: Datuk Seri Anwar Ibrahim has unveiled a slightly smaller Cabinet than that of his predecessor – naming two Deputy Prime Ministers and 25 ministers.

The Prime Minister will also serve as the Finance Minister, a post he had held from 1991 until his sacking in 1998.

The last Prime Minister to hold both portfolios was Datuk Seri Najib Razak, from 2008 until 2018.

The 28-member Cabinet is a reduction from the 32 ministers in the previous two administrations under Datuk Seri Ismail Sabri Yaakob and Tan Sri Muhyiddin Yassin.

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Barisan Nasional’s chief Datuk Seri Dr Ahmad Zahid Hamidi and Datuk Seri Fadillah Yusof from Gabungan Parti Sarawak (GPS) were named as the two deputy prime ministers.

Ahmad Zahid will also hold the Rural and Regional Development portfolio while Fadillah will be the Plantations and Commodities Minister.

PKR secretary-general Datuk Seri Saifuddin Nasution Ismail will helm the Home Ministry while Anthony Loke will return to the Transport Ministry where he had been in charge when Pakatan Harapan was in power between 2018 and 2020.

Former Finance Minister Tengku Datuk Seri Zafrul Tengku Abdul Aziz, who had lost in the Kuala Selangor parliamentary seat in the recent general election, will make a return, helming the International Trade and Industry Ministry.

Other who were appointed as ministers include Mohamad Sabu (Agriculture and Food Security), Datuk Seri Salahuddin Ayub (Domestic Trade and Cost of Living), Hannah Yeoh (Youth and Sports), Datuk Seri Alexander Nanta Linggi (Works), Datuk Aaron Ago Dagang (Unity), Datuk Seri Nancy Shukri (Women, Family and Community Development), Datuk Seri Azalina Othman Said (Law and Institutional Reforms) and Datuk Seri Mohamed Khaled Nordin (Higher Education)

The fresh faces in the Cabinet include Rafizi Ramli (Economy), Dr Zaliha Mustafa (Health), Datuk Seri Mohamad Hasan (Defence), Chang Lih Kang (Science and Technology), Nga Kor Ming (Local Government Development), Nik Nazmi Nik Ahmad (Natural Resources and Climate Change), Datuk Ewon Benedick(Entrepreneur Development and Cooperatives), Datuk Seri Zambry Abdul Kadir (Foreign), Datuk Seri Tiong King Sing (Tourism), Fahmi Fadzil (Digital Communications), Fadhlina Sidek (Education), Datuk Mohd Na’im Mokhtar (Religious Affairs), Sivakumar Varatharaju (Human Resource) and Minister in Prime Minister’s Department (Sabah and Sarawak Affairs) Datuk Armizan Mohd Ali.

Saifuddin, Zafrul. Zambry and Dr. Mohd Na’im will be sworn in as senators before they assume their ministerial portfolios.

Meanwhile, Anwar said that deputy ministers will be named at a later date.