PRIME Minister Muhiyiddin Yassin has announced a bloated and oversized cabinet with 70 ministers compared to Pakatan Harapan’s 56, said PKR strategic communications director said Fahmi Fadzil. 

PH had 28 ministers with a deputy each while the Perikatan Nasional cabinet has 32 ministers and 38 deputy ministers.

“This is a bloated cabinet and we are currently assessing the cabinet and its ministers,” said Fahmi  at the Sime Darby Convention Centre today where Pakatan Harapan leaders were meeting

“We can see that the representation of women Cabinet members is only 13% compared to the PH Cabinet which had more women leaders. 

“There are 50% women in the country so I don’t see how the 13% can represent the women here,” he said

Prime Minister Muhyiddin Yassin today unveiled his cabinet line-up, which does not have a deputy prime minister, but four coordinating ministers instead

The Perikatan Nasional cabinet has members of Bersatu, Umno, PAS and Gabungan Parti Sarawak, as well independent lawmakers who followed former PKR deputy president Mohamed Azmin Ali out of the party.

The four coordinating ministers, known as senior ministers, are Azmin Ali (international trade and industry), Ismail Sabri Yaakob (defence), Fadillah Yusof (works) and Mohd Radzi Md Jidin (education).

Fahmi said that the dearth of women was disappointing especially in the wake of International Women’s Day yesterday.

He said the average age of the cabinet members worked out to in the late 50s.

“The average age should be about 50, so I don’t know whether it truly representative (of Malaysians). So let’s see in the coming days.”

However, he commended the appointment of Dr Zulkifli Mohamad Al-Bakri as the de facto religious affairs minister in Prime Minister’s Department.

“I think he is a forward-minded mufti and I believe he will be a professional minister in charge of Islamic affairs.”

Zulkifli is a newbie to the cabinet.

He is the Federal Territories mufti and founder of Pondok Moden Al-‘Abaqirah, a religious educational institute. He will be appointed a senator before assuming the ministerial portfolio. – March 9, 2020.