PRIME Minister Tan Sri Muhyiddin Yassin announced that there will be no deputy prime minister, naming instead senior ministers who will assist him. Datuk Seri Mohamed Azmin Ali becomes senior minister for international trade and industry; senior minister for defence is Datuk Seri Ismail Sabri Yaakob; finance minister is CIMB CEO Tengku Datuk Seri Zafrul Tengku Abdul Aziz who will be made a senator; senior minister for public works is Datuk Seri Fadillah Yusof; and senior minister for education is Datuk Seri Mohd Radzi Md Jidin.
Perhaps the biggest surprise was appointing Tengku Zafrul, a career banker currently heading the CIMB Group as its CEO, as finance minister, a politically sensitive ministry. Putting a technocrat in charge defuses potentially explosive reactions to a political appointee.
A welcome feature is that none of the main Umno three facing court charges – former PM Datuk Seri Najib Razak, Umno president Datuk Seri Ahmad Zahid Hamidi, and Umno secretary-general Datuk Seri Tengku Adnan Mansor – are in, which will take a lot of potential pressure off Muhyiddin.
While there is no deputy, Azmin’s name tops the list of senior ministers, perhaps indicative of an inherent hierarchy within Perikatan Nasional which indicates that he will replace Muhyiddin when the time comes.
Datuk Seri Mustapa Mohamed’s appointment as a minister in the PM’s department in charge of the economy is welcome as he is known to be good at such matters, having previously been a minister of trade and industry and a member of the National Economic Action Council in 1998.
A notable absence in the line-up is PAS head’s Datuk Seri Abdul Hadi Awang who had announced earlier that he wanted no Cabinet appointment. This also indicates that PAS appears to be taking a back seat to calm fears of any religious backlash, a move that will likely be opposed by Perikatan Nasional ally GPS of Sarawak where there is a substantial Christian presence.
Another notable appointment is that of Federal Territory mufti Datuk Seri Dr Zulkifli Mohamad Al-Bakri as Minister in the Prime Minister’s Department (Islamic Affairs). He will have to be appointed as a senator first.
The full list of his new Cabinet line-up is as below:
Senior International Trade and Industry Minister: Datuk Seri Mohamed Azmin Ali
Deputy: Datuk Lim Ban Hong (to be appointed as senator)
Senior Defence Minister: Datuk Seri Ismail Sabri Yaakob
Deputy: Datuk Seri Ikhmal Hisham Abdul Aziz
Finance Minister: Tengku Zafrul Tengku Abdul Aziz (to be appointed senator)
Deputy Finance Minister I: Datuk Abd Rahim Bakeri
Deputy Finance Minister II: Mohd Shahar Abdullah
Senior Works Minister: Datuk Seri Haji Fadillah Yusof
Deputy: Datuk Dr Shahruddin Md Salleh
Senior Education Minister: Dr Mohd Radzi Md Jidin
Deputy Education Minister I: Datuk Dr Mah Hang Soon (to be appointed senator)
Deputy Education Minister II: Muslimin Yahaya
Minister in the Prime Minister’s Department (Economy):Datuk Seri Mustapa Mohamed
Deputy Minister: Arthur Joseph Kurup
Minister in the Prime Minister’s Department (Special Functions): Datuk Seri Mohd Redzuan Md Yusof
Deputy Minister: Datin Mastura Yazid
Minister in the Prime Minister’s Department (Parliament and Legal Affairs): Datuk Takiyuddin Hassan
Deputy Minister: Datuk Eddin Syazlee Shith
Minister in the Prime Minister’s Department (Islamic Affairs): Datuk Seri Dr Zulkifli Mohamad Al-Bakri (to be appointed as senator)
Deputy Minister: Ahmad Marzuk Shaary
Minister in the Prime Minister’s Department (Sabah and Sarawak Affairs): Datuk Seri Panglima Dr Maximus Johnity Ongkili
Deputy Minister: Datuk Hajah Hanifah Hajar Taib
Transport Minister: Datuk Seri Ir Dr Wee Ka Siong
Deputy: Haji Hasbi Haji Habibollah
Environment Minister: Datuk Tuan Ibrahim Tuan Man
Deputy: Datuk Dr Ahmad Masrizal Muhammad (to be appointed senator)
Human Resources Minister: Datuk Seri Saravanan Murugan
Deputy: Haji Awang Hashim
Federal Territories Minister: Datuk Seri Panglima Haji Annuar Musa
Deputy Minister: Datuk Seri Dr Santhara Kumar
Women and Family Minister: Datuk Seri Rina Mohd Harun
Deputy Minister: Datuk Hajah Siti Zailah Mohd Yusoff
Higher Education Minister: Datuk Dr Noraini Ahmad
Deputy Minister: Datuk Dr Mansor Othman
Energy and Natural Resources Minister: Datuk Dr Shamsul Anuar Hj Nasarah
Deputy Minister: Ali Anak Biju
Home Minister: Datuk Seri Hamzah Zainuddin
Deputy Minister 1: Datuk Seri Dr Haji Ismail Haji Mohamed Said
Deputy Minister 2: Jonathan Yassin
Health Minister: Datuk Seri Dr Adham Baba
Deputy Minister 1: Datuk Dr Noor Azmi Ghazali
Deputy Minister 2: Datuk Aaron Ago Dagang
Agriculture and Food Industries Minister: Datuk Seri Dr Ronald Kiandee
Deputy Minister 1: Datuk Seri Hj Ahmad Hamzah
Deputy Minister 2: Datuk Haji Che Abdullah Mat Nawi
Rural Development Minister: Datuk Dr Abd Latiff Hj Ahmad
Deputy Minister 1: Datuk Abdul Rahman Mohamad
Deputy Minister 2: Datuk Henry Sum Agong
Foreign Affairs Minister: Datuk Seri Hishammuddin Hussein
Deputy Minister: Datuk Kamaruddin Jaffar
Domestic Trade and Consumer Affairs Minister: Datuk Alexander Nanta Linggi
Deputy Minister: Datuk Rosol Wahid
Communications and Multimedia Minister: Datuk Seri Saifuddin Abdullah
Deputy Minister: Datuk Zahidi Zainul Abidin
Housing and Local Government Minister: Zuraida Kamaruddin
Deputy Minister: Datuk Seri Ismail Abd Mutalib
Science, Technology and Innovation Minister: Khairy Jamaluddin
Deputy Minister: Ahmad Amzad Hashim
Entrepreneurial Development and Cooperatives Minister: Datuk Seri Dr Wan Junaidi Tuanku Jaafar
Deputy Minister: Datuk Wira Mas Ermieyati Hj Samsudin
Plantations and Commodities Development Minister: Datuk Dr Mohd Khairuddin Aman Razali
Deputy Minister 1: Datuk Seri Dr Wee Jeck Seng
Deputy Minister 2: Willie Mongin
Tourism, Arts and Culture Minister: Datuk Seri Hajah Nancy Shukri
Deputy Minister: Datuk Dr Jeffrey G Kitingan
National Unity Minister: Datuk Halimah Mohamed Sadique
Deputy Minister: Datuk Seri Tiong King Sing
Youth and Sports Minister: Datuk Seri Reezal Merican Naina Merican
Deputy Minister: Wan Ahmad Fayhsal Wan Ahmad Kamal (to be appointed senator)
