MINISTERS and deputy ministers in Prime Minister Ismail Sabri Yaakob’s cabinet have concluded their swearing-in ceremony at Istana Negara today. 

The ceremony started around 2.30pm and ended at 4.30pm with the ministers and the deputies exiting through gate 2 of the palace. 

Health Minister Khairy Jamaluddin’s vehicle was among the first few spotted exiting the palace after the ceremony. 

None of the newly minted ministers stopped to address the slew of reporters waiting at the palace entrance. 

However, some of the ministers waved to the reporters. 

Among them were Senior International Trade and Industry Minister Mohamed Azmin Ali, Human Resources Minister M. Saravanan, Senior Defence Minister Hishammuddin Hussein, Communications and Multimedia Minister Annuar Musa and Youth and Sports Minister Ahmad Faizal Azumu.

Ismail missed the oath-taking ceremony as he is undergoing self-quarantine after being identified as a close contact of a Covid-19 patient. 

Deputy Education Minister Mohamad Alamin, who tested positive for Covid-19, was also not present at the ceremony. 

The Kimanis MP is currently receiving treatment in Kuala Lumpur and in stable condition. 

On Friday, Ismail announced his cabinet of 30 ministers to help with his administration. 

He did not select a deputy prime minister but instead appointed four senior ministers. 

The four senior ministers are Azmin, Hishammuddin, Works Minister Fadillah Yusof and Education Minister Mohd Radzi Jidin.

Ismail had retained almost all the same faces from Muhyiddin Yassin’s cabinet, bringing in a small number of new faces, and swapped portfolios for some. – August 30, 2021.