All coalition members to be represented in Cabinet

KUALA LUMPUR: Tun Dr Mahathir Mohamad, who is expected to unveil his new and slimmer Cabinet today, says it is important that all parties in the Pakatan Harapan coalition are represented.

The Prime Minister also noted that all the Cabinet positions will be of equal status.

Stressing that the Government will have a smaller Cabinet compared to the previous administration, Dr Mahathir said the 10 initial portfolios include Finance; Home; Defence; Education; Rural Development; Economy; Public Works; Transport; Multimedia, Science and Technology; and Foreign Affairs.

“We do not want a huge Cabinet, but there are certain ministries which need to be filled immediately,” he told a press conference yesterday.

Dr Mahathir will chair a full Pakatan presidential council meeting today to discuss his Cabinet lineup.

He said he had given time for each of the four parties in Pakatan – Parti Pribumi Bersatu Malaysia, PKR, DAP and Parti Amanah Negara – to have their respective meetings yesterday to put forward candidates for ministerial posts.

He said the council will then vet through the proposed names.

Meanwhile, a Pakatan insider said Dr Mahathir has a well mapped out plan for his Cabinet and may announce more portfolios later.

“There is talk that non-politicians such as technocrats and specialists from ‘outside’ will also be brought in for the yet-to-be-created portfolios,” said the source.

These outsiders, he added, will be appointed as senators and sworn into the Cabinet.

One clue to this is the highly important Health Ministry, which is not in the list of 10 portfolios announced.

“There is talk that the position might go to Tan Sri Dr Yahaya Awang, the cardiothoracic surgeon who performed both of Dr Mahathir’s heart surgeries,” said the source.

He said some Umno elected representatives, who are highly qualified and skilled, may defect to Pribumi and be considered for some of the yet-to-be created portfolios.

“Tun is very shrewd and knows what to do and whom to appoint to ensure the nation can be effectively ‘healed’ of its ailments,” said the source.

The Sabah defections and expected Sarawak defections, he added, will also play a role in determining the appointment of Cabinet members and deputy ministers.

The source also said of the 10 maiden portfolios, the Prime Minister is expected to give PKR the most number of positions, fol- lowed by DAP with Pribumi and Amanah sharing the remaining positions.

He added that DAP secretary-general Lim Guan Eng and Selangor DAP chief Tony Pua were vying for the Finance Minister’s post.

As for PKR, its vice-president Dr Xavier Jayakumar is also lobbying for a ministerial position, said the source.

There is very strong speculation that former Selangor Speaker Hannah Yeoh, of DAP, will be appointed as the Dewan Rakyat Speaker.

“It is very difficult to extract precise information as Tun (Dr Mahathir) is not letting the ‘cat out of the bag’,” said the source.