New Cabinet line-up announced

PUTRAJAYA: Prime Minister Datuk Seri Abdullah Ahmad Badawi announced his new administration on Tuesday, trimming his Cabinet from 32 to 27 seats, of which more than half featured new faces.

"I hope they will perform better than before and I believe that with the choice we have made we will be able to fulfil our agenda," he said.

"I would like to tell you that this term we would go into vigorous implementation of our policies and projects. I have heard many times, and read many articles and comments by the people who said Pak Lah (Abdullah) has worked out the policies well but is short on implementation," he told a packed press conference at his office.

Datuk Zaid Ibrahim is one of five ministers in the Prime Minister's Department

Abdullah, who retained his Finance portfolio, scrapped the post of parliamentary secretary.

He did not retain big names such as Datuk Seri Rafidah Aziz (former International Trade and Industry Minister), Datuk Seri Azmi Khalid (former Natural Resources and Environment Minister), Datuk Seri Radzi Sheikh Ahmad (former Home Affairs Minister), Datuk Seri Dr Jamaluddin Jarjis (former Science, Technology and Innovation Minister) and Datuk Seri Tengku Adnan Mansor (former Tourism Minister).

MCA president Datuk Seri Ong Ka Ting (former Housing and Local Government Minister) asked not to be reappointed so that he could focus his energies on rebuilding the MCA after its disappointing performance in the election.

Abdullah also merged the Home Affairs and Internal Security ministries, saying that they had many overlapping functions, and named former Foreign Minister Datuk Seri Syed Hamid Albar as its minister.

Former Maybank CEO Datuk Amirsham Abdul Aziz was also made Minister in the Prime Minister's Department

"I am still surprised with the post although I was sure I will move from the Foreign Ministry," Syed Hamid said.

"I have to learn fast to regain public confidence in security related matters. Judging from the election results, Malaysians expect some things to be done," he said.

In the 12th general election on March 8, the Barisan Nasional saw its two-thirds majority in the 222-seat Parliament pared down to a simple majority, lost control of four states including industrial centres such as Selangor and Penang, and failed to wrest Kelantan back from PAS.

Higher Education Minister Datuk Mohamed Khaled Nordin, formerly Entrepreneur and Cooperative Development Minister, said he was looking forward to the challenges of his new portfolio.

Umno information chief Tan Sri Muhammad Muhd Taib is Rural and Regional Development Minister

"I know the challenges in this ministry are very big and the expectations of the rakyat are very high, particularly in trying to make Malaysia the centre of excellence for higher education.

"What I know is that the work is going to be very different from the ministry I was heading before, but I will reserve my plans for the ministry until I have been briefed by the ministry staff," said the Pasir Gudang MP.

Khaled took over the portfolio from Datuk Mustapa Mohamed, who is now the Agriculture and Agro-based Industry Minister.

Abdullah also appointed two corporate figures, who will be sworn in as senators later Tuesday, as ministers in the Prime Minister's Department.

Wanita MCA chief Datuk Dr Ng Yen Yen is Women, Family and Community Development Minister

They are lawyer Datuk Zaid Ibrahim, the former MP of Kota Baru who was not chosen to contest in the recent general election, and Maybank chief executive officer Datuk Amirsham A. Aziz.

In KOTA KINABALU, Liberal Democratic Party president Datuk Liew Vui Keong described the new Cabinet as a "dedicated team."

Liew, appointed Deputy International Trade and Industry Minister, said the people in the east coast district of Sandakan were very fortunate as they had a Chief Minister, a Deputy Chief Minister and a state cabinet minister representing them with him at the federal level.

Other new deputy ministers from Sabah in Abdullah’s line up are Kalabakan Umno MP Datuk Abdul Ghapur Salleh who was a deputy chief minister until 1999 when he resigned and Parti Bersatu Rakyat Sabah (PBRS) president Tan Sri Joseph Kurup, the Pensiangan MP.

MIC secretary-general Datuk Dr S. Subramaniam is Human Resources Minister

The fourth Sabahan was veteran Datuk Anifah Aman, the Umno MP for Kimanis, who was moved from the Plantation Industries and Commodities Ministry to the Transport Ministry.

The three ministers from Sabah were United Pasok Momogun Kadazandusun Organisation (Upko) president Tan Sri Bernard Dompok, Parti Bersatu Sabah deputy president Datuk Dr Maximus Ongkili and Sabah Umno deputy liaison chief Datuk Shafie Apdal.

Dompok, the Penampang MP, was retained in the Minister in the Prime Minister’s Department portfolio.

Dr Maximus, the MP for Kota Marudu, was moved from the Prime Minister’s Department to the Science, Technology and Innovation Ministry.

Shafie, the Umno Semporna MP, was transferred from the Domestic Trade and Consumer Affairs Ministry to the Ministry of Unity, Culture, Arts and Heritage.

The full list:

Prime Minister
Datuk Seri Abdullah Ahmad Badawi

Deputy Prime Minister
Datuk Seri Najib Tun Razak

Umno supreme council member Datuk Shahrir Samad is Domestic Trade and Consumer Affairs Minister

Ministers in the Prime Minister's Department
Tan Sri Bernard Dompok
Datuk Seri Nazri Aziz
Datuk Dr Ahmad Zahid Hamidi
Datuk Mohd Zaid Ibrahim
Datuk Amirsham Abdul Aziz

Deputy Ministers in the Prime Minister's Department
Datuk Johari Baharom
Datuk Dr Mashitah Ibrahim
K. Devamany
Datuk Hasan Malek

Finance
Minister - Datuk Seri Abdullah Ahmad Badawi
Second Finance Minister - Tan Sri Nor Mohamed Yakcop
Deputies - Datuk Ahmad Husni Hanadzlah, Datuk Kong Cho Ha

Defence
Minister - Datuk Seri Najib Tun Razak
Deputy - Datuk Wira Abu Seman Yusop

Internal Security and Home Affairs
Minister - Datuk Seri Syed Hamid Albar
Deputies - Datuk Chor Chee Heung, Senator Datuk Wan Ahmad Farid Wan Salleh

MCA secretary-general Datuk Ong Ka Chuan is Housing and Local Government Minister

Housing and Local Government
Minister - Datuk Ong Ka Chuan
Deputies - Datuk Robert Lau, Datuk Hamzah Zainuddin

Works Minister
Minister - Datuk Mohd Zin Mohamad
Deputy - Datuk Yong Khoon Seng

Energy, Water and Communications
Minister - Datuk Shaziman Abu Mansor
Deputy - Datuk Joseph Salang Gandum

Agriculture and Agro-based Industry
Minister - Datuk Mustapa Mohamed
Deputy - Datin Paduka Rohani Abdul Karim

International Trade and Industry
Minister - Tan Sri Muhyiddin Yassin
Deputies - Datuk Liew Vui Keong, Datuk Jacob Dungau Sagan

Foreign Affairs
Minister - Datuk Seri Dr Rais Yatim
Deputy - Datuk Seri Tengku Azlan Sultan Abu Bakar

Education
Minister - Datuk Seri Hishammuddin Hussein
Deputies - Datuk Wee Ka Siong, Datuk Razali Ismail

Kemaman MP Datuk Ahmad Shabery Cheek is Information Minister

Higher Education
Minister - Datuk Khaled Nordin
Deputies - Dr Hou Kok Chung, Datuk Idris Harun

Transport
Minister - Datuk Ong Tee Keat
Deputy - Datuk Anifah Aman

Human Resources
Minister - Datuk Dr S. Subramaniam
Deputy - Datuk Noraini Ahmad

Women, Family and Community Development
Minister - Datuk Dr Ng Yen Yen
Deputy - Noriah Kasnon

National Unity, Culture, Arts and Heritage
Minister - Datuk Shafie Apdal
Deputy - Datuk Teng Boon Soon

Science, Technology and Innovation
Minister - Datuk Dr Maximus Ongkili
Deputy - Fadilah Yusof

Entrepreneurial and Cooperative Development
Minister - Datuk Noh Omar
Deputy - Datuk Saiffuddin Abdullah

Bera MP Datuk Ismail Sabri Yaacob is Youth and Sports Minister

Natural Resources and Environment
Minister - Datuk Douglas Unggah Embas
Deputy - Datuk Abdul Ghapur Salleh

Rural and Regional Development
Minister - Tan Sri Muhammad Muhd Taib
Deputy - Tan Sri Joseph Kurup, Joseph Entulu Belaun

Domestic Trade and Consumer Affairs
Minister - Datuk Shahrir Samad
Deputy - Jelaing Mersat

Plantation Industries and Commodities
Minister - Datuk Peter Chin Fah Kui
Deputy - Senator A. Kohilan

Youth and Sports
Minister - Datuk Ismail Sabri Yaacob
Deputy - Wee Jeck Seng

Health
Minister - Datuk Liow Tiong Lai
Deputy - Datuk Dr Abdul Latiff Ahmad

Information
Minister - Datuk Ahmad Shabery Cheek
Deputy - Datuk Tan Lian Hoe

Tourism
Minister - Datuk Seri Azalina Othman
Deputy - Datuk Seri Sulaiman Abdul Rahman Taib

Federal Territories
Minister - Datuk Seri Zulhasnan Rafique
Deputy - Datuk M. Saravanan

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