BARISAN Nasional (BN) and PAS have agreed to just take up ministerial posts and not go for the deputy prime minister’s job in Prime Minister Muhyiddin Yassin’s cabinet, which could be announced as early as Monday.

Coalition leaders discussed their shortlists with Muhyiddin yesterday, agreeing on most of the posts with a few more to be settled today.

The Malaysian Insight understands that BN and PAS will take the Home and Foreign Ministry posts while the Finance Ministry will be given to Muhyiddin’s Bersatu party.

“They are still discussing other posts like Economic Affairs but that is likely to go to BN,” said a source from Muafakat Nasional (MN) which combines both BN’s Umno and PAS.

Adding to the alphabet soup of new pacts is Muhyiddin’s Perikatan Nasional (PN), which comprises Bersatu with MN to form the new government that replaced the ruling Pakatan Harapan (PH) coalition that collapsed on February 24.

He said MN was not interested in the deputy prime minister’s post because it is not provided for in the federal constitution.

“That person needs to be a minister. MN has decided to share the posts so to maintain equality, we won’t go for it,” he disclosed, adding that Muhyiddin’s Bersatu will also not name anyone because it already has the prime minister’s post.

Umno president and BN chairman Ahmad Zahid Hamidi said yesterday he will not join the Muhyiddin cabinet in any capacity, which also ruled him out as a potential DPM.

PAS president Abdul Hadi Awang had said he will be a fisherman if not given any cabinet post.

Senior party leaders from Umno and PAS met before sending their lists to Muhyiddin, another MN source told The Malaysian Insight.

It is learnt that some of the names proposed for the new cabinet were former ministers in the BN and PH governments, including the likes of Umno’s Ismail Sabri Yaakob, and new Bersatu members Mohamed Azmin Ali and Zuraida Kamaruddin.

“Ranking party office bearers will get the key posts first, followed by others qualified in the party.

“So you’ll see Ismail Sabri get a senior post rather than Hishammuddin Hussein because he doesn’t hold any party post.

“The reality is simple. Bersatu needs to satisfy its own party leadership too, apart from their partners in MN and BN.

“We’ll only see top leaders appointed before anyone else who does not hold office,” he added.

The source said PN will also have to name leaders from Gabungan Parti Sarawak (GPS), which had earlier agreed to support PN without being in the cabinet, but later agreed to join the Muhyiddin administration.

“There’s a lot of people to put into a cabinet, and we have to finalise before Monday,” he added.

Muhyiddin was sworn in as prime minister a week ago on March 1, but has yet to name anyone to any post except Idrus Harun as the attorney-general to replace Tommy Thomas, who resigned on February 28.

He will also have to name a replacement for Latheefa Koya, the Malaysian Anti-Corruption Commission (MACC) chief commissioner who resigned on Friday.

Muhyiddin has promised a cabinet of clean individuals, which ruled out a number of top Umno leaders facing corruption charges and led to speculation that he will need more time to draw up a shortlist of suitable candidates.

The Prime Minister’s Office also said last week this year’s first parliament sitting has been postponed to May 18 to allow Muhyiddin time to name his cabinet. – March 8, 2020.