Anwar to announce Cabinet today?

Reports: GPS, BN to fill 2 DPM slots in 25-member Cabinet, four main parties to get bulk of ministerial posts

There will be two deputy prime ministers in Datuk Seri Anwar Ibrahim’s Cabinet, which will comprise 25 members, says a source in the know.

According to a Free Malaysia Today report yesterday, the source said the deputy prime ministers will come from Gabungan Parti Sarawak (GPS) and Barisan Nasional (BN), specifically Umno.

Parti Keadilan Rakyat (PKR), Umno, Democratic Action Party (DAP) and GPS are likely to be given the most ministerial posts, while Parti Warisan, Parti Amanah Negara and United Progressive Kinabalu Organisation (Upko) are also slated to be included in the new Cabinet.

The source also said Anwar is expected to unveil his Cabinet today.

Anwar, the Tambun MP, was sworn in as the 10th prime minister last Thursday.

Previously, Umno deputy president Mohamad Hasan, also known as Tok Mat, was said to be the frontrunner for one of the two deputy prime minister posts.

There were also rumours that Warisan president Datuk Seri Shafie Apdal was set to be named as the second deputy prime minister.

Anwar has been urged not to include BN chairman Datuk Seri Ahmad Zahid Hamidi and other MPs with ongoing court cases, including DAP chairman Lim Guan Eng and Muda president Syed Saddiq Syed Abdul Rahman, in his Cabinet.

However on Tuesday, former PKR vice-president Tian Chua said Ahmad Zahid could play a key role in stabilising Anwar’s government, having already been instrumental in ge ing BN to jointly form the unity government.

Meanwhile, Malay daily Berita Harian also reported yesterday that Anwar is expected to announce his Cabinet line-up within this week to ensure his ministers are sworn-in before the weekend.

It said the announcement could take place today at the earliest following speculations that Anwar had presented the list of Cabinet members to the Yang di-Pertuan Agong AlSultan Abdullah Ri’ayatuddin Al-Mustafa Billah Shah during his first audience as Prime Minister at Istana Negara on Tuesday.

The report also said that if no announcement is made on the anticipated Cabinet line-up, Anwar is expected to hold a press conference on the ma er by today at the very least, to provide sufficient time for the swearingin ceremony to take place before His Majesty, who is expected to head overseas this Saturday.

PKR communications director Fahmi Fadzil was separately quoted in the report saying he had no information pertaining to Anwar’s announcement.

“I do not have information. Several reporters have contacted me and I have no information on the ma er. What I do understand is it will be (done) at the earliest but I don’t have a timeline,” he said.

Anwar was previously reported to have said that his Cabinet would have a maximum of 25 ministers, compared to 31 under the previous administration.