KUALA LUMPUR – The exclusion of certain MPs from Prime Minister Datuk Seri Anwar Ibrahim’s newly announced cabinet line-up can be attributed to the Pakatan Harapan (PH) leader’s pledge to establish a lean cabinet, opined political analysts.
Speaking to The Vibes, Universiti Sains Malaysia’s Azmil Tayeb said that while some omissions were “unfortunate”, the exclusion of some big names is the price Anwar is paying to ensure a smaller cabinet with fewer ministers.
“For the sake of a slim cabinet, sacrifices have to be made. I’m sure that these capable people will get their chance in the next cabinet reshuffle,” he said.
He asserted, however, that the decision to appoint Datuk Seri Tengku Zafrul Tengku Abdul Aziz to the cabinet is “inexplicable”, seeing how his close rival in the 15th general election (GE15), Amanah’s Datuk Seri Dr Dzulkefly Ahmad, had emerged victorious in the race for the Kuala Selangor federal seat.
“(Dzulkefly) was known as one of the best performing PH ministers (during PH’s previous time in Putrajaya) and he also won a very tight contest in GE15.
“Instead, his political rival (Tengku Zafrul) was appointed as the international trade and industry minister. This is the inexplicable part for me,” he said.
Dzulkefly was called on by his party to contest in the national polls to defend the constituency against Tengku Zafrul.
This was despite the former health minister saying in June that he had no intentions of running as a candidate in GE15 to make way for younger leaders.
Besides Dzulkefly, prominent party figures missing from the cabinet composition thus far include DAP deputy chairman and Damansara MP Gobind Singh Deo, DAP vice-chairman and Ipoh Barat MP M. Kula Segaran, Umno Supreme Council member and Titiwangsa MP Datuk Seri Johari Ghani, as well as Warisan president and Semporna MP Datuk Seri Shafie Apdal.
For Universiti Teknologi Malaysia senior lecturer Mazlan Ali, while it is definitely a shame that not all good leaders were recruited to be part of the cabinet, the nature of the unity government explains why certain decisions had been made.
“The cabinet for the unity government is small and compact.
“I believe that Anwar has discussed the matter (of selecting ministerial candidates) with party leaders, so maybe those who weren’t appointed ministers can instead contribute to the government in different ways,” he said.
Similarly, Nusantara Academy for Strategic Research senior fellow Azmi Hassan said that political factors within the unity government would definitely have influenced the cabinet line-up, especially if Anwar intends to hold on to coalitions who have expressed their support for him.
“It was quite odd that (Dzulkefly) managed to defeat Tengku Zafrul yet was not given a cabinet post, but I think it was also expected, because Anwar (is making his cabinet choices) based on political factors,” he said.
He theorised that this could explain why Tengku Zafrul – who is also Selangor Barisan Nasional (BN) treasurer – and BN chairman Datuk Seri Ahmad Zahid Hamidi were elected to hold ministerial portfolios, with the latter securing one of the deputy prime ministerial positions.
Zahid’s appointment has since drawn flak from certain quarters, including former international trade and industry minister Tan Sri Rafidah Aziz, who questioned the need to appoint someone facing corruption charges.
“Anwar needs BN’s support. Political considerations have to be made; it’s not so much about capability (of excluded MPs).
“(Dzulkefly) is capable in his own right; he might be part of a group of advisors appointed to aid some ministries,” he said.
Meanwhile, Gobind had since taken to Facebook to reveal that he had declined Anwar’s offer for him to be part of the cabinet, as he would rather direct his attention to his MP duties.
“(Anwar) did ask me to be part of his cabinet. However, after considering the matter, I informed him that I was unable to do so and that I would…assist the government in all ways that I can, moving forward,” he said.
“I again express my full confidence in his leadership and believe that he will successfully take Malaysia to greater heights.”
After GE15 resulted in a hung Parliament, PH had formed a unity government backed by BN, Gabungan Parti Sarawak (GPS), Gabungan Rakyat Sabah (GRS), Warisan, Parti Bangsa Malaysia, and Sabah’s Parti Kesejahteraan Demokratik Masyarakat.
PH had taken the bulk of cabinet posts with 15 out of 28 ministers, followed by BN with six, GPS five, and GRS one. The federal territories minister, as well as deputy ministers, have yet to be announced.
Anwar’s cabinet is currently significantly smaller than the cabinets of former prime ministers Tan Sri Muhyiddin Yassin and Datuk Seri Ismail Sabri Yaakob, who both had 70 ministers and deputies each. – The Vibes, December 3, 2022
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