DATUK Seri Amir Hamzah Azizan has been appointed finance minister II in a cabinet reshuffle today.
The Employees Provident Fund CEO was earlier sworn into the Senate before Dewan Negara president Tan Sri Dr Wan Junaidi Tuanku Jaafar.
Amir, who joined the EPF in March 2021, is also a former CEO of Tenaga Nasional Bhd CEO, MISC Bhd, and Petronas Dagangan Bhd.
Prime Minister Datuk Seri Anwar Ibrahim said changes were effected to suit current needs while announcing the new cabinet line-up
"After discussions with the major component parties, I made suggestions to the Yang Di-Pertuan Agong for approval," he said.
The new cabinet members will be sworn in this afternoon.
Datuk Seri Johari Abdul Ghani is the new plantation and commodities minister.
Datuk Seri Mohamad Hasan is swapping his defence portfolio for that of foreign minister while Datuk Seri Dr Zambry Abdul Kadir has made the switch from foreign minister to higher education minister.
Datuk Seri Khaled Nordin, who previously served as higher education minister, takes over from Mohamad Hasan as the defence minister.
Deputy Prime Minister Datuk Seri Fadillah Yusof, who was also plantation and commodities minister, now holds the energy transition and public utilities portfolio.
Gobind Singh Deo, who was communications and multimedia minister during the 2018 Pakatan Harapan administration, is the new digital minister, while Dr Dzulkefly Ahmad has also made a comeback as health minister.
Dr Zaliha Mustafa has been appointed minister in the Prime Minister’s Department (Federal Territories).
Former deputy finance minister II Steven Sim replaces V. Sivakumar as the human resources minister.
Sivakumar has been dropped altogether from the cabinet.
Datuk Armizan Mohd Ali will helm the Domestic Trade and Cost of Living Ministry.
Pontian MP Datuk Seri Ahmad Maslan is moved from the Finance Ministry to the Works Ministry, serving as a deputy minister.
There are also five new deputy ministers: Datuk Seri Noraina Ahmad, M. Kulasegaran, Datuk R. Ramanan, Wong Kah Woh and Dr Zulkifli Hasan, who was sworn in as a senator earlier today.
The number of cabinet ministers increased from 28 to 31, and deputy ministers 27 to 29. – The Vibes, December 12, 2023.
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