Dr M: No plans for Cabinet reshuffle

SINGAPORE: Prime Minister Tun Dr Mahathir Mohamad said there are no plans of a Cabinet reshuffle unless other members in the Pakatan Harapan coalition want it.

“I am not going to but they might want. They might insist so I will have to consider.

“For my part, I have not decided about reshuffling,” he told the media at the end of the 33rd Asean summit here yesterday.

When asked who might want to do so, he said the other parties in the Pakatan Harapan coalition.

“Maybe other parties – PKR, DAP, or Amanah,” he said.

He said that he was reluctant to reshuffle the Cabinet as it was still recently formed.

“As far as I am concerned, we are only a six month-old Cabinet, it is difficult to assess the performance of a Cabinet (in such short period).

“I don’t want to be changing freely just like that because it leads to a lack of confidence,” he added.

To a question on concerns on the performance of several ministers in the Cabinet, he said the ministers needed to be given a chance to prove themselves.

“We give them a chance, they are new, we have to talk to them.

“I must admit that they are not familiar with being the Government, they are familiar with being the Opposition.

“So some of the things they do reflect their position as the Opposition before,” he said.

He refused to state how much time he would give them to prove themselves.