KUALA LUMPUR: Malaysia Prime Minister Anwar Ibrahim on Monday (Dec 1) said that a major reshuffle of his Cabinet is not on the cards, even as he acknowledged the need to fill vacancies left by the resignation of three ministers as well as one whose senatorship is set to end on Tuesday.
“This Cabinet will only function for a year plus, a year and a half, so I don’t think a major reshuffle is needed,” Anwar told reporters after an event in Kuala Lumpur.
“Nevertheless, I have convened the full Cabinet to decide on the next steps to be taken but there is a need to fill the vacancies,” he was quoted as saying by local news outlet Malay Mail.
Malaysia’s next general election is due by February 2028.
There has been speculation that a Cabinet reshuffle is imminent, considering that Investment, Trade and Industry Minister Tengku Zafrul Abdul Aziz’s tenure as a senator ends on Tuesday and with it, his term as a minister.
The conclusion of the Sabah election over the weekend where the incumbent Gabungan Rakyat Sabah (GRS) – an ally of Anwar’s ruling coalition Pakatan Harapan (PH) – prevailed despite PH performing much worse than in the last election was also seen as another possible factor.
PH secured only one of 22 seats it contested while GRS won 29, more than the 25 garnered by its rival Warisan. Despite PH’s poor performance, it will be part of the new state government led by chief minister Hajiji Noor, leading to some speculation of potential horse-trading involving federal ministership.
https://www.channelnewsasia.com/asia/malaysia-anwar-ibrahim-cabinet-reshuffle-5499386
