New Cabinet to last till next GE, says Anwar

Hottest topic: Anwar being surrounded by media members in Putrajaya yesterday morning before he announced the new Cabinet line-up. — Bernama

Reports by MAZWIN NIK ANIS, TARRENCE TAN, RAGANANTHINI VETHASALAM, FATIMAH ZAINAL, KHOO GEK SAN, JUNAID IBRAHIM, GERARD GIMINO, ZAKIAH KOYA, ARFA YUNUS, TEH ATHIRA YUSOF, IMRAN HILMY and REBECCA RAJAENDRAM

PUTRAJAYA: Notwithstanding future challenges, the new Cabinet line-up is here to stay and will serve until the next general election, says Datuk Seri Anwar Ibrahim.

The Prime Minister believes there should not be any further changes to his Cabinet and expressed hope that they would perform their duties effectively.

“I hope that no new issues and problems will arise.

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“This is so that we can use the next four years until the next general election to deliver what has been planned and promised,” he told reporters after announcing the Cabinet reshuffle yesterday.

The reshuffle, which saw the appointment of five new ministers, including Employees Provident Fund chief executive officer Datuk Seri Amir Hamzah Azizan as Second Finance Minister, took place slightly a year after Anwar named his first line-up on Dec 2 last year.

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Anwar said the reshuffle was needed to ensure a more effective administration.

“The changes took into account issues such as economic growth and to ensure problems faced by the people concerning cost of living are tackled effectively.

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“We also need to look into Malaysia’s position on the international stage. This has changed the roles and responsibilities of the Foreign Ministry,” he said.

He also noted that issues related to education as well as higher education have also changed.

“This is particularly so as we explore new fields and areas especially artificial intelligence and digital transformation.Because of this, I have to re-think (the Cabinet make-up) and make some adjustments,” he added.

Anwar said that he had consulted leaders of all the main parties in the unity government on the changes and had presented his proposal to the Yang di-Pertuan Agong, who consented to the new appointments.