Malaysia’s new prime minister, Muhyiddin Yassin, unveiled his ministerial team on Monday. His aim was to deliver a “functional cabinet that delivers,” he said.
“I will create a Cabinet that focuses on delivering a more focused and effective service, is efficient, caring for people, transparent and integrated, with a more robust structure,” he added.
Muhyiddin took office a week ago, following the abrupt resignation of his predecessor Mahathir Mohamad, which sparked the collapse of the former ruling coalition. His Cabinet includes 31 ministers and 38 deputy ministers. The appointees, who include politicians and technocrats, will be sworn in on Tuesday in the presence of of Malaysia’s ruler, Sultan Abdullah Ri'ayatuddin Al-Mustafa Billah Shah.
“The government needs to demonstrate that the ministries are led by experienced hands,” said Adip Zalkapli, director of consulting firm BowerGroupAsia. “The inclusion of technocrats will very likely reduce infighting and internal political competition.”
In a surprising move, Muhyiddin scrapped the position of deputy prime minister and instead appointed four senior ministers to make key decisions in his absence: Azmin Ali, who will oversee international trade and industry; Defense Minister Ismail Sabri Yaakob; Fadillah Yusof, who is in charge of works and infrastructure development; and Education Minister Radzi Jidin.
The prime minister also introduced a number of new posts, including a minister of national unity. Muhyiddin said that “unity between the various races is a determinant of the survival….of our country.”
He also created a ministry that will be responsible for the states of Sabah and Sarawak, which are dominated by indigenous, non-Malay minority ethnic groups.
The move was interpreted by analysts as an attempt to shore up support for the new pro-Malay government, which might face challenges in protecting the interests of indigenous groups, given that MPs representing ethnic minorities are mostly in opposition.
The new lineup marks the return to the Cabinet of a number of United Malays National Organization leaders who were ministers before the party was ousted in the polls two years ago.
“The thing that stands out is that many of them served in the last UMNO government before it fell in 2018,” said Prof. James Chin, director of the Asia Institute at Tasmania University. The Cabinet “will please the Malay ground” but not the market, he added.
Malaysia’s king on Saturday appointed a new prime minister, ending a week of turmoil in the country and sidelining two figures who have dominated the country’s political landscape for years.
Muhyiddin Yassin replaces 94-year-old Mahathir Mohamad, who quit less than a week ago in a shock move. He will be sworn in on Sunday.
Mahathir said days after his resignation that he would stand as prime minister on behalf of the former ruling coalition, which disintegrated after his departure. He teamed up with his on-off rival Anwar Ibrahim and even declared that he had the numbers for a majority.
But Comptroller of the Royal Family and Household Ahmad Fadil Shamsuddin said that King Sultan Abdullah Ri’ayatuddin Al-Mustafa Billah Shah had decided that the figure who looked likely to command the most confidence of the majority of MPs was Yassin.
“Therefore, the king has selected Muhyiddin as the prime minister in line with Article 40(2)(a) and 43(2)(a) of the Federal Constitution,” Shamsuddin said.
Shamsuddin said that the king had ordered for the appointment not to be delayed and for a new government to be formed for the nation’s well-being. “He believes this is the best decision for everyone and hopes this puts an end to the political crisis at the moment,” the comptroller added.
Yassin is from the state of Johor and is little known outside of Malaysia. He was instrumental in founding the Malay-based Malaysian United Indigenous Party (Bersatu) in 2016 alongside Mahathir.
He was dismissed as deputy prime minister in 2015 for criticizing then-Prime Minister Najib Razak amid the high-profile, billion-dollar 1MDB graft scandal.
Yassin must team up with other parties to get the majority he needs, but the inclusion of some groups could lead to a government with more conservative religious values.
Prof. James Chin, director of the Asia Institute at Tasmania University, said the appointment was “bad news” for the country.
“I am very surprised that he got the job,” Chin told Arab News. “One of the parties in this government is the Malaysian Islamic Party which is a fundamentalist Islamic party, while the United Malays National Organization will go along with a more Islamic government.”
Mahathir said days after his resignation that he would stand as prime minister on behalf of the former ruling coalition, which disintegrated after his departure. He teamed up with his on-off rival Anwar Ibrahim and even declared that he had the numbers for a majority.
But Comptroller of the Royal Family and Household Ahmad Fadil Shamsuddin said that King Sultan Abdullah Ri’ayatuddin Al-Mustafa Billah Shah had decided that the figure who looked likely to command the most confidence of the majority of MPs was Yassin.
“Therefore, the king has selected Muhyiddin as the prime minister in line with Article 40(2)(a) and 43(2)(a) of the Federal Constitution,” Shamsuddin said.
Shamsuddin said that the king had ordered for the appointment not to be delayed and for a new government to be formed for the nation’s well-being. “He believes this is the best decision for everyone and hopes this puts an end to the political crisis at the moment,” the comptroller added.
Yassin is from the state of Johor and is little known outside of Malaysia. He was instrumental in founding the Malay-based Malaysian United Indigenous Party (Bersatu) in 2016 alongside Mahathir.
He was dismissed as deputy prime minister in 2015 for criticizing then-Prime Minister Najib Razak amid the high-profile, billion-dollar 1MDB graft scandal.
Yassin must team up with other parties to get the majority he needs, but the inclusion of some groups could lead to a government with more conservative religious values.
Prof. James Chin, director of the Asia Institute at Tasmania University, said the appointment was “bad news” for the country.
“I am very surprised that he got the job,” Chin told Arab News. “One of the parties in this government is the Malaysian Islamic Party which is a fundamentalist Islamic party, while the United Malays National Organization will go along with a more Islamic government.”
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