KUALA LUMPUR – The current cabinet under the stewardship of Datuk Seri Ismail Sabri Yaakob is still functional, albeit in a limited capacity, despite the dissolution of Parliament today.
Chief Secretary to the Government Tan Sri Mohd Zuki Ali said the existing cabinet will function as a caretaker government until the appointment of a new one, and that it can still carry out meetings as usual.
The only difference is that it may not make any new policy decisions, although ones that have been decided in the past can continue to be implemented, he was quoted as saying to Berita Harian today.
Additionally, he said the cabinet is also still able to advise the Yang di-Pertuan Agong on matters concerning the country’s administration.
“They are still ministers, although only for a caretaker government. The same applies to all deputy ministers and the Parliament’s secretary,” he was reported as saying.
“It’s just that by convention, after Parliament is dissolved, the prime minister rarely calls for a cabinet meeting.”
His comments come on the back of Ismail Sabri’s special address earlier this evening announcing the dissolution of Parliament effective immediately, paving the way for fresh elections to be held.
The announcement puts an end to months of speculation on when the Umno-led federal government would call for the election and makes Ismail Sabri the shortest-serving prime minister, at just shy of 14 months.
The Umno vice-president has been under undue pressure from his party’s top guns to seek a dissolution of Parliament from the Agong by the end of this year, despite pushback from various quarters who want the government to train its focus on the coming monsoon season.
Meanwhile, Zuki said the situation revolving around the cabinet today differs from that of the political crises in 2020 and 2021, that eventually led to changes in government.
He noted that on both past occasions, the then prime ministers – Tun Dr Mahathir Mohamad and Tan Sri Muhyiddin Yassin – had announced their resignations, meaning their cabinet members would also immediately cease to be a member.
This is in line with Article 43(4) of the federal constitution, which stipulates that a prime minister who longer commands the majority support of the Dewan Rakyat shall tender the resignation of his whole cabinet.
“Under current circumstances, only the Parliament is dissolved. The cabinet can still meet, especially when there are disasters, among other things,” Zuki said. – The Vibes, October 10, 2022
