ANWAR NAMES TAINTED EX-RIVAL AS DEPUTY PM
Ahmad Zahid, a key ally of jailed former premier Najib, will be country’s No 2 leader, which sceptics warn will tarnish administration from outset
Malaysia’s Prime Minister Anwar Ibrahim yesterday unveiled a new cabinet that included the corruption-haunted Ahmad Zahid Hamidi as the country’s No 2 leader, indicative of compromises struck to keep the fragile administration intact.
Anwar, 75, named himself finance minister – a position he held for seven years in the 1990s before he was plunged into political wilderness and jailed following a fallout with then leader Mahathir Mohamad.
Alongside Ahmad Zahid, Fadillah Yusof, a member of the GPS coalition from the state of Sarawak in Malaysian Borneo, was also named deputy premier – keeping with Anwar’s promise to give the high-ranking positions to the two most powerful blocs backing him.
The new cabinet, comprising 28 ministers in total, will be sworn in by the king today. The total number of ministers is lower than the 31 officials in the cabinet of Anwar’s predecessor, Ismail Sabri Yaakob. The three main alliances in the government, Anwar’s Pakatan Harapan (PH), Ahmad Zahid’s Barisan Nasional (BN) and Fadillah’s GPS, constituted the “pillars” of the new administration, the prime minister said.
He added that he had the backing of other MPs, giving his administration the support of two-thirds of parliament. “This mandate gave us confidence to set up a cabinet line-up that is strong and works as a team, and is focused on accelerating fresh economic growth and the problems of the people,” Anwar said.
Saifuddin Nasution Ismail, a long-time Anwar confidante and key member of the prime minister’s PH alliance, will be home minister – a highly influential position with remit over the police, immigration and registry of societies. Past Malaysian home ministers have faced accusations of using the government machinery to throttle dissenters.
Anthony Loke of the Democratic Action Party (DAP) – a PH constituent party – will be Transport Minister. The defence ministry will be helmed by Mohamad Hasan, who is the deputy leader of the BN alliance Ahmad Zahid leads. Rafizi Ramli, the combative deputy leader of Anwar’s own Parti Keadilan Rakyat (PKR), will be economic affairs minister.
There are five women in the 28-member cabinet, including DAP’s Hannah Yeoh who will be minister of youth and sports, BN member Azalina Othman who will be the de facto law minister and Sarawak MP Nancy Shukri, who will be the minister for women affairs, family and social development.
Of the various appointments, Ahmad Zahid being handed the deputy prime ministership was the most expected among political commentators, even though sceptics warned it would taint Anwar’s administration from the outset.
Ahmad Zahid is widely seen as a close ally of Najib Razak, the ex-leader defeated in 2018 polls and now in jail following a conviction linking him to the 1MDB financial scandal. Ahmad Zahid himself is facing corruption charges of his own for alleged money laundering and criminal breach of trust.
Along with Najib, Ahmad Zahid was among a slew of BN officials slapped with corruption charges following the 2018 vote, which Anwar’s PH won under the leadership of elder statesman Mahathir Mohamad.
The PH government collapsed in 2020, following an internal coup backed by Najib, Zahid and other BN heavyweights.
Nonetheless Ahmad Zahid’s support is key for Anwar’s current survival as prime minister. BN’s 30 MPs, along with lawmakers from Malaysian Borneo, make up the more than 130 MPs who have so far said they back Anwar as prime minister.
Anwar’s own PH has 83 seats in the legislature, making it the biggest bloc in the 222-seat lower house of parliament.
PN, comprising the former prime minister Muhyiddin Yassin’s Bersatu party and the hardline Islamist PAS, have 73 seats and will occupy the opposition benches when parliament reconvenes on December 19.
This mandate gave us confidence to set up a cabinet line-up that is strong and works as a team
ANWAR IBRAHIM,
MALAYSIAN PRIME MINISTER