Malaysia's New PM Unveils Cabinet

by WisdomMountain | April 9, 2009 at 02:48 pm

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Malaysia's new premier unveiled his cabinet Thursday to face the challenges of severe global recession.

Datuk Seri Najib Razak,Malaysia's sixth prime minister,streamlined the ministerial posts from 32 to 28,keeping the key finance portfolio himself to pump prime the Malaysian economy with the RM60 billion boost announced earlier.

Najid,55,sworn in six days ago on April 3 as Malaysia's new leader ,pledged to step up reforms under a new "One Malaysia,People First,Priority Performance Now" concept "to spur the nation toward excellence".

He named Tan Sri Muhyiddin Yassin, his right hand man, as deputy premier and education minister.

Tan Sri Muhyiddin had earlier publicly pressured former premier Datuk Seri Abdullah Ahmad Badawi to step down after the disastrous losses in last year's March 2008 Political Tsunami.

He had won the deputy president post of UMNO after Malacca chief minister Datuk Seri Mohd Ali Rustam was barred by the UMNO Disciplinary Board from the three-corner contest for breaching party ethics at last month's UMNO party election.

Najib,an economics graduate of UK's Nottingham University,has brought in new face economist Datuk Ahmad Husni Hanadziah,56,as second finance minister.

He also reshuffled former agriculture minister Datuk Mustapa Mohamed,58, as international trade and industry minister and new face Datuk Anifah Aman,55,fromSabah, as foreign minister.

Former foreign minister Datuk Seri Dr.Rais Yatim has been shifted to be the minister of information,commuications,arts and culture.

Rais,67, will be the only minister to serve Malaysia's two prime ministers who are father and son.

He served as culture,youth and sports parliamentary secretary under Najib's father,the late Tun Abdul Razak Hussein's cabinet in 1974.

Najib also shifted former second finance minister Tan Sri Nor Mohamed Yakcop to head the Economic Planning Unit to fast track economic stimulus.

He placed former education minister Datuk Seri Hishamuddin Hussein as the home affairs minister.

The new Malaysian 68-member Cabinet line-up will have 28 ministers and 40 deputy ministers.
It has seven new faces.Eight ministers were dropped to reflect Malaysia's plural society.
Najib,in an apparent appreciation of former premier Tun Mahathir Mohamed's role in emplacing him as Abdullah's deputy and open push for him to succeed Abdullah,returned the favour by appointing Mahathir's son, Datuk Mukhriz,as a deputy minister of international trade and industry.

Mahathir had blamed money politics for Datuk Mukhriz's defeat in the three-corner contest for the UMNO youth chief post.

Surprisingly,Khairy Jamaluddin,son-in-law of Abdullah,was left out.He won the UMNO youth chief post despite being let off with a warning by the UMNO Disciplinary Board for breaching party ethics like Mohd Ali Rustam.

Najib's line-up is only slightly slimmer than Abdullah's, only four ministers less to be exact.

He did away with two ministries but set up a new ministry - Energy,Green Technology and Water with Datuk Peter Chin,the former Plantation Industries and Commodities Minister as the minister to head it to reflect current concerns.

He also set up a new Council of Economic Advisers to help him steer the Malaysian economy out of troubled times.

The Council will be headed by an economic expert with ministerial rank.

Among Najib's priorities are:-
*Economic renewal to surmount the global recession;*Malaysian social unity based on trust and mutual respect;*Poverty eradication via citizens' real income increase;*Educational System improvement;and*Greater Malaysian dialogue,debate and participation in the political process and national agenda.

"My message to my new cabinet is to remember the people's expectations that we will not only perform but also listen to them while being committed to working towards One Malaysia," declares Najib.

The new premier stressed he would directly monitor the performance of his cabinet members every six months under a key performance indicators (KPI) scheme.

This KPI evaluation will be used to measure the impact and perfromance of measures taken by each ministry to deliver "value for money" service.

Najib has apparently got a capable technocrat, former Penang Chief Minister Senator Tan Sri Koh Tsu Koon,appointed as Minister in the Prime Minister's Department for Unity and Performance Management to monitor the key performance of his new team.

He dropped Home Minister Datuk Seri Syed Hamid Albar,Tourism Minister Datuk Seri Azalina Othman,Works Minister Datuk Seri Mohd Zin Mohamed,Housing and Local Government Minister Datuk Seri Ong Ka Chuan,Federal Territories Minister Datuk Seri Zulhasnan Rafique, Rural and Regional Development Minister Senator Tan Sri Muhammed Muhammad,Minister in the Prime Minister's Department Senator Tan Sri Amirsham A.Aziz and Domestic Trade and Consumer Affairs Minister Datuk Shahrir Abdul Samad(who had resigned).

The new Malaysian cabinet will take their oath of office at Istana Negara(National Palace) at 9.30 a.m. Friday (April 10).

The new line-up includes:-
Transport Minister Datuk Seri Ong Tee Keat;Law and Parliament Minister Datuk Seri Mohamed Nazri Aziz;Higher Education Minister Datuk Seri Khalid Nordin;Science,Technology and Innovation Minister Datuk Dr. Maximus Ongkili;Natural Resources and Environment Minister Datuk Douglas Uggah Embas;Rural and Regional Development Minister Datuk Seri Shafie Apdal;Agriculture and Agro-based Industries Minister Datuk Noh Omar;Health Minister Datuk Seri Liow Tiong Lai;Human Resources Minister Datuk Dr. S.Subramaniam;Youth and Sports Minister Datuk Ahmad Sabery Chik;Domestic Trade and Consumer Affairs Minister Datuk Seri Ismail Sabri;Plantation Industries and Commodities Minister Tan Sri Bernard Dompok;Defence Minister Datuk Seri Dr. Ahmad Zahid Hamidi;Federal Territories Minister Datuk Raja Nong Chik Zainal Abidin;Tourism Minister Datuk Seri Dr. Ng Yen Yen;Women,Family and Community Development Minister Senator Datuk Seri Shahrizat Abdul Jalil;Housig and Local Government Minister Datuk Kong Cho Ha;and Works Minister Datuk Shaziman Abu Mansor.

This new Malaysian cabinet was unveiled on the same day that two policemen - Chief Inspector Azilah Hadri and Corporal Sirul Azhar Umar - were found guilty and sentenced to death by the Shah Alam High Court for the murder of Mongolian beauty Altantuya Shaariibuu.

Azilah,33,and Sirul,37, both members of the elite Special Action Squad (UTK) were convicted under Section 149 of the Penal Code which carries the mandatory death sentence.

High Court judge Datuk Mohd Zaki Md Yasinn ruled the prosecution had proven beyond reasonable doubt that the two cops were responsible for killing Altantuya,28, and blowing up her body with C4 explosives at a jungle clearing near Bukit Raja between 10 p.m. on Oct 19,2006 and 1 a.m. the next day.

They will hang in the gallows for the murder.

Political analyst Abdul Razak Baginda,48,charged with abetting in the murder,had earlier been acquitted by the same court on Oct.31,last year.

He is known to be closely associated with new premier Datuk Seri Najib Razak.

He has walked away free without having to enter his defence. He has since moved to England to do his doctorate studies.

Veteran lawyer Karpal Singh,who held a watching brief for Altantuya's family,stressed that despite the conviction ad sentence,the main issue had not been addressed.

"To my mind,these two are just the fall guys,"said karpal,who is also Democratic Action Party(DAP) chairman and Bukit Gelugor MP.

Karpal pointed out that the two policemen were members of the elite Special Action Squad(UTK),which is tasked to guard ministers and high-ranking government officials.

"They did not,could not have the motive to commit such a horrendous murder,"he suggested.

Karpal said he would continue to push the High Court for a judicial review against the Attorney-General's decision not to appeal against political analyst Abdul Razak Baginda's acquittal.

He would also push for a civil suit filed in 2007 on behalf of Altantuya's two children against Azilah,Sirul,Abdul Razak Baginda and the Federal government.