KUALA LUMPUR, April 9 (Bernama) -- Datuk Seri Najib Tun Razak today announced a 28-member cabinet in 25 ministries which saw eight ministers dropped and seven new faces appointed. Tan Sri Muhyiddin Yassin, who won the Umno deputy presidency in last month's party elections, is appointed Deputy Prime Minister and Education Minister.
Najib, who took his oath of office as the new prime minister on April 3, also retained the finance portfolio which he has held since Sept 19 last year following the portfolio swap between him and Tun Abdullah Ahmad Badawi at that time.
Najib's cabinet is slightly smaller than his predecessor's 32 ministers and 27 ministries.
Najib said that the new members of the administration were highly spirited and ready to serve.
"I am confident that all of them share the same commitment to spur the nation towards excellence.
"This is our line-up and our team which reflects Malaysia's plural society," he said when announcing the cabinet list at the Prime Minister's Department, which was carried live on national television.
The new cabinet also a reflection of the slogan "One Malaysia. People First. Performance Now" adopted by Najib's administration.
The eight dropped are Datuk Seri Syed Hamid Albar (Home), Datuk Seri Azalina Othman Said (Tourism), Senator Tan Sri Muhammad Muhammad Taib (Rural and Regional Development), Senator Datuk Amirsham A Aziz (Prime Minister's Department), Datuk Ong Ka Chuan (Housing and Local Government), Datuk Mohd Zin Mohamed (Works), Datuk Seri Zulhasnan Rafique (Federal Territories) and Datuk Shahrir Abdul Samad (Domestic Trade and Consumer Affairs) who had resigned.
The new faces includes Gerakan president Tan Sri Dr Koh Tsu Koon who is appointed Minister in the Prime Minister's Department in charge of Unity and Performance Management.
Malaysian Armed Forces' Religious Corp Director Maj-Gen Datuk Jamil Khir Baharom is also among the new faces, appointed Minister in the Prime Minister's Department in charge of Islamic Religious Affairs.
Other new faces are Datuk Ahmad Husni Mohamad Hanadzlah who was appointed Second Finance Minister, Umno Wanita chief Datuk Seri Shahrizat Abdul Jalil (Women, Family and Community Development), Datuk Anifah Aman (Foreign) and Lembah Pantai Umno division chief Datuk Raja Nong Chik Raja Zainal Abidin (Federal Territories).
MCA vice-president Datuk Kong Cho Ha who was previously the Deputy Finance Minister was promoted to a full ministership in charge of Housing and Local Government.
Of the seven new faces, four were made senators to pave the way for their cabinet appointments, namely Dr Koh, Jamil Khir, Shahrizat and Raja Nong Chik, all of whom were sworn in as members of the Dewan Negara this afternoon.
Seven ministers retained their respective portfolios namely Datuk Seri Mohamed Nazri Abdul Aziz (Prime Minister's Department), Datuk Seri Ong Tee Keat (Transport), Datuk Seri Mohamed Khaled Nordin (Higher Education), Datuk Dr Maximus Ongkili (Science, Technology and Innovation), Datuk Douglas Unggah Embas (Natural Resources and Environment), Datuk Liow Tiong Lai (Health) and Datuk Dr S. Subramaniam (Human Resources).
The new cabinet line-up also saw changes in the portfolio of 14 ministers.
Heading the list is Muhyiddin, who has moved to the Education Ministry from the International Trade and Industry Ministry.
Others are Tan Sri Nor Mohamed Yakcop (Finance to Prime Minister's Department), Tan Sri Bernard Dompok (Prime Minister's Department to Plantation Industries and Commodities), Datuk Seri Hishammuddin Tun Hussein (Education to Home Ministry), Datuk Seri Dr Rais Yatim (Foreign Ministry to Information, Communications, Arts and Culture), and Datuk Peter Chin Fah Kui (Plantation Industries and Commodities to Energy, Green Technology and Water).
Also moving to new portfolios are Datuk Seri Shafie Apdal (Unity, Culture, Arts and Heritage to Rural and Regional Development), Datuk Mustapa Mohamed (Agriculture and Agro-based Industry to International Trade and Industry), Datuk Dr Ng Yen Yen (Women, Family and Community Development to Tourism), Datuk Noh Omar (Cooperatives and Entrepreneur Development to Agriculture and Agro-based Industry) Datuk Seri Dr Ahmad Zahid Hamidi (Prime Minister's Department to Defence), Datuk Shaziman Abu Mansor (Energy, Water and Communications to Works Ministry), Datuk Ahmad Shabery Cheek (Information to Youth and Sports) and Datuk Ismail Sabri Yaakob (Youth and Sports to Domestic Trade and Consumer Affairs).
The new cabinet also saw the restructuring of three ministries namely Information; Unity, Culture, Arts and Heritage; and Energy, Water and Communications.
The three have now been merged into two ministries namely the Energy, Green Technology and Water; and Information, Communications, Arts and Culture.
The prime minister also announced the appointment of 40 deputy ministers including two who were made senators.
They are MCA Wanita chief Datin Paduka Chew Mei Fun who was appointed Women, Family and Community Development Deputy Minister, and Umno Supreme Council member Datuk Dr Awang Adek Hussin who was appointed Finance Deputy Minister.
They were sworn in as senators this afternoon.
The previous administration has 37 deputy ministers.
Of the 40 deputy ministers, nine are new faces namely Jerlun Member of Parliament Datuk Mukhriz Tun Mahathir, who was appointed International Trade and Industry Deputy Minister, Puteri Umno chief Datuk Rosnah Abdul Rashid Shirlin (Health), Dr Mohd Puad Zarkashi (Education), Senator Datuk Dr Awang Adek Hussin (Finance), Senator Heng Seai Kie (Information, Communications, Arts and Culture), Senator Datin Paduka Chew Mei Fun (Women, Family and Community Development), Datuk Lee Chee Leong (Foreign), Ahmad Maslan (Prime Minister's Department) and Datuk Razali Ibrahim (Youth and Sports).
The old faces are Datuk Liew Vui Keong (Prime Minister's Department), Senator Datuk Dr Mashitah Ibrahim (Prime Minister's Department), Datuk S. K. Devamany (Prime Minister's Department), Senator T. Murugiah (Prime Minister's Department), Datuk Chor Chee Heung (Finance), Datuk Wee Ka Siong (Education), Datuk Abdul Rahim Bakri (Transport), Datuk Robert Lau Hoi Chew (Transport), Datuk Hamzah Zainuddin (Plantation Industries and Commodities).
Datuk Wira Abu Seman Yusop (Home), Jelaing Mersat (Home), Datuk Joseph Salang Gandum (Information, Communications, Arts and Culture), Noriah Kasnon (Energy, Green Technology and Water), Datuk Hassan Malek (Rural and Regional Development), Datuk Joseph Entulu Belaun (Rural and Regional Development), Datuk Dr Hou Kok Chung (Higher Education).
Datuk Saifuddin Abdullah (Higher Education), Datuk Jacob Dungau Sagan (International Trade and Industry), Fadillah Yusof (Science, Technology and Innovation), Tan Sri Joseph Kurup (Natural Resources and Environment), Datuk Sulaiman Abdul Rahman Abdul Taib (Tourism), Datuk Johari Baharum (Agriculture and Agro-based Industry), Datuk Rohani Abdul Karim (Agriculture and Agro-based Industry), Datuk Dr Abdul Latiff Ahmad (Defence), Datuk Yong Khoon Seng (Works).
Wee Jeck Seng (Youth and Sports), Senator Datuk Maznah Mazlan (Human Resources), Datuk Tan Lian Hoe (Domestic Trade and Consumer Affairs), Datuk Lajim Ukin (Housing and Local Government), Senator A. Kohilan Pillay (Foreign) and Datuk M. Saravanan (Federal Territories).
All the ministers and deputy ministers will take their oaths of office at the Istana Negara at 9.30am tomorrow.
Earlier Najib had an audience with the Yang di-Pertuan Agong Tuanku Mizan Zainal Abidin at the Istana Terengganu here to obtain his consent on the new cabinet line-up.
-- BERNAMA
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