KUALA LUMPUR: The immediate takeaway from Malaysia Prime Minister Anwar Ibrahim’s first shake-up of his ministerial line-up since taking power over a year ago is that he is now firmly in charge.
Compared to the first team that was based on compromises with partners in a unity government after an inconclusive general election, Mr Anwar assembled his new team this week with a mandate of more than a two-thirds majority in the 222-member parliament.
His position has been further bolstered in recent weeks with five elected representatives from the opposition pledging support for his government, amid speculation of more to follow.
The new line-up features five new ministers and the appointment of a trusted technocrat as second-in-command at the finance ministry, which Mr Anwar will continue to helm, reassignments and the return of several experienced hands to give the Cabinet more depth.
The original Cabinet, which had 28 ministers, now has been expanded to 31.
On paper, the ministerial rejig by Mr Anwar is clearly aimed to better suit his pledge to spur Malaysia’s economy, which has slowed considerably after expanding 8.7 per cent in 2022.
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THE KEY SEATS
The appointment of technocrat Amir Hamzah Azizan, who stepped down as CEO of the Employees Provident Fund (EPF) to take up the position of second finance minister, will provide the operational support at the ministry, while Mr Anwar can ensure that the management of the national cash register does not become open to the rent-seeking practices of the past that led to many financial scandals, such as the fiasco at state-owned 1Malaysia Development Bhd (1MDB).
The breaking up of the Communications and Digital Ministry, with seasoned elected Member of Parliament Gobind Singh Deo heading the newly minted Digital Minister, is a reflection of the government’s determination to become more aggressive in the digitalisation of the national economy.
Fahmi Fadzil will continue to lead the communications arms, which Mr Anwar recently acknowledged needed more improvement, particularly in communicating national policies to the public.
Mr Anwar also broke up the Ministry of National Resource and Climate Change that was headed by a loyalist, Nik Nazmi Nik Ahmad, who will now lead the newly formed Ministry of Natural Resource and Sustainability.
Fadhillah Yusof, one of Malaysia’s two deputy prime ministers and a powerful politician from the Sarawak state, has been appointed to the new portfolio of energy transition and public utilities, while remaining in charge of the affairs of Borneo states that include Sabah.
Mr Anwar added depth to the new line-up with the appointment of Johari Abdul Ghani, a powerful politician from the United Malays National Organisation (UMNO), to the Plantation and Commodities Ministry that was previously headed by Mr Fadhillah.
POLITICAL DIMENSION IN UMNO SELECTION
There was also a strong political dimension to a set of reassignments involving ministers from UMNO, a key component in Mr Anwar’s coalition.
Defence minister Mohamad Hasan, who is also UMNO deputy president, will be moved to the foreign ministry, replacing Zambry Abdul Kadir, who is moving to the higher education ministry.
Another UMNO stalwart Khaled Nodrin will leave the higher education ministry to take over the defence portfolio.
The moves involving the UMNO ministers came as a result of some lobbying by the party president Ahmad Zahid Hamidi, who is also one of the deputy prime ministers in the current government.
UMNO is seeking to repair its scandal-scarred reputation among the politically dominant Malay community. Mr Ahmad Zahid has tasked Mr Zambry to lead the party’s political renewal plan and he appealed to Mr Anwar in recent weeks to move the UMNO politician to a ministry that would not require too much overseas travel, according to sources with knowledge of the matter.
Now that Mr Anwar has successfully negotiated the politics of government formation, the pressure is on him to deliver with the economic reforms.
Leslie Lopez is a senior correspondent at CNA Digital who reports on political and economic affairs in the region. He has covered Malaysia since 1986.