WHEN Prime Minister Anwar Ibrahim announced his cabinet members, it was not shocking to find Barisan Nasional (BN) chairman Ahmad Zahid Hamidi named as one of his two deputies. 

It was already anticipated that Zahid would certainly be in Anwar’s cabinet when the meeting between Pakatan Harapan (PH) and BN lawmakers took place at Seri Pacific Hotel, Kuala Lumpur, days after the general election.

What however raised eyebrows were the appointments of a number of election “losers” to key positions in the PH chairman’s cabinet.

Among them were Anwar’s right-hand man at PKR, Saifuddin Nasution Ismail (home), BN’s secretary-general Zambry Abdul Kadir (foreign) and Tengku Zafrul Abdul Aziz (international trade and industry). 

Saifuddin failed to defend his Kulim Bandar Baharu seat, losing heavily to Perikatan Nasional’s (PN) Roslan Hashim by a majority of 13,061. 

Zambry, formerly Perak menteri besar, lost to PN’s Nordin Ahmad Ismail by a razor-thin majority of 363 votes. 

Tengku Zafrul, who held the finance minister portfolio under two different governments, lost to former health minister Dr Dzulkefly Ahmad in Kuala Selangor by a 1,002-vote majority. 

The question on many minds was the need for Anwar to appoint losers to his cabinet when he has close to 148 duly-elected lawmakers backing him and his leadership? 

Does he not have the confidence or trust in the elected lawmakers or the mandate given by Malaysians? Or, did he make the appointment to appease certain quarters? The latter looks more like it. 

Several lawmakers, including Muhyiddin Yassin, have criticised Anwar’s appointments. 

But DAP’s M. Kula Segaran urged people to look at the bigger picture, saying “this is the cabinet we need at the moment”. 

But it does not seem that way, and the most jarring is Tengku Zafrul’s appointment.

Saifuddin was probably given a position for loyally serving Anwar all these years and Zambry was probably appointed in his capacity as BN’s secretary-general.

But Tengku Zafrul? 

During the election campaign, even Anwar had claimed that Tengku Zafrul was not fit to be a minister. 

It took Amanah’s Dzulkefly to reconsider his political retirement and contest in Kuala Selangor against Tengku Zafrul, where the voters chose the former.

Sadly the winner was not rewarded but the loser ended up being named minister.

Tengku Zafrul faced a lot of criticism during his time as finance minister.

Many had labelled him a “corporate banker” for siding with the banks during the Covid-19 pandemic when the call for moratorium extension increased. 

Tengku Zafrul, who served as finance minister in Muhyiddin’s government, should also be answerable to PH’s alleged claims that the Bersatu president had misused some RM600 billion funds during Covid-19 pandemic. 

Many are still puzzled by the PKR president’s decision. 

Was the people’s mandate respected? Or was it bulldozed by Anwar’s desire to be the prime minister and remain in power? 

As the ministers clocked in for duty on yesterday, only time and their performance in their respective ministries can pacify the people and justify Anwar’s decision to appoint losers to his cabinet.  December 6, 2022.