BURSA Malaysia ended on a positive note at midday, after Prime Minister Ismail Sabri Yaakob’s announcement on the cabinet line-up.

At 12.30pm the FBM KLCI gained 4.79 points to 1,590.53 from yesterday’s close of 1,585.74. 

The market bell weather opened at 1,582.90 this morning.

There were 342 gainers over 561 losers as of lunch break while 433 counters were unchanged. 

Ismail this morning announced his cabinet of 30 ministers to help with his administration, preferring to continue with the experiment of having four senior ministers, and without a deputy prime minister.

He also retained almost all the same faces from Muhyiddin Yassin’s cabinet, bringing in a small number of new faces, and swapped portfolios for some.

Finance Minister Tengku Zafrul Tengku Abdul Aziz retained his previous post, while former science, technology and innovation minister Khairy Jamaluddin will now oversee the health portfolio.

Khairy’s portfolio was swapped with that of his predecessor Dr Adham Baba.

The four senior ministers remained the same as in the previous administration – International Trade and Industry Minister Mohamed Azmin Ali, Defence Minister Hishammuddin Hussein, Works Minister Fadillah Yusof and Education Minister Mohd Radzi Jidin. 

The new faces included in the line up are Minister in the Prime Minister’s Department (Religious Affairs) Idris Ahmad, Federal Territories Minister Shahidan Kassim, Youth and Sports Minister Ahmad Faizal Azumu and Rural and Regional Development Minister Mahdzir Khalid. 

Those dropped from the cabinet were ministers in the Prime Minister’s Department Mohd Redzuan Md Yusof (special functions) and Zulkifli Mohamad Al-Bakri (religious affairs), as well as Mohd Khairuddin Aman Razali, who was plantation and commodities minister. – August 27, 2021.