Najib: Not normal for govt to reshuffle cabinet so soon
KUALA LUMPUR: Former prime minister Datuk Seri Najib Razak said it was against convention to reshuffle the cabinet within months of its formation.
He also said that if anyone was dropped at this juncture it meant that the person was performing poorly.
“A cabinet reshuffle usually takes some time. It only happens about 1½ years into its tenure,” he said at the Parliament lobby.
He was earlier asked whether Prime Minister Tun Dr Mahathir Mohamad’s statement that he was ready to reshuffle the cabinet to cater for winners in the PKR polls meant that the leadership had no confidence in the cabinet.
Asked if the reshuffle was timed to the PKR polls, Najib said such matters were the prime minister’s prerogative.
“Well, it’s up to the prime minister and our system, whether he follows party polls or not. But since the cabinet was formed at the end of May with some appointed later, the time frame is very short. The tenure is very short.
“And if they are dropped at this juncture, it means that they have not been performing.”
Najib, however, refused to state whether he agreed or disagreed with the move, claiming that it only reinforced the belief that the cabinet did not measure up.
He also refused to rate the cabinet, adding that he was now in the opposition. “You can’t expect me to rate them highly. It’s up to the rakyat to rate them. I think that is more important.”