KUALA LUMPUR, Sept 4 —  Former prime minister Tan Sri Muhyiddin Yassin has been appointed as chairman of the National Recovery Council, Chief Secretary to the Government Tan Sri Mohd Zuki Ali said today.

In a statement today, Zuki said the Cabinet had decided on the appointment which carries a similar status of a minister on September 1, before presenting it to the Yang di-Pertuan Agong.

"The appointment was made as the government is confident with the ability of Muhyiddin to spearhead the national recovery strategy to achieve the best economical impact and restore the lives of people severely affected by the Covid-19 pandemic,” he said in the statement.

Muhyiddin resigned from his post last month after Umno pulled support from his Perikatan Nasional government.

The Agong would later decide that his former deputy, Umno’s Datuk Seri Ismail Sabri Yaakob, commanded the majority of Dewan Rakyat to be appointed Muhyiddin’s successor.

The council was formed in July, chaired then by Muhyiddin in his capacity as prime minister.

Its members include Ismail, and a panel of experts including Khazanah Research Institute chairman Tan Sri Nor Mohamed Yakcop, former Khazanah Nasional Berhad managing director Tan Sri Azman Mokhtar, AirAsia Group chief executive officer Tan Sri Tony Fernandes, and Yayasan Chow Kit co-founder and child rights activist Dr Hartini Zainudin.

Other names include Universiti Malaya Professor of Medicine and Infectious Diseases Professor Datuk Dr Adeeba Kamarulzaman, Star Media Group adviser Datuk Seri Wong Chun Wai, SME Association of Malaysia president Datuk Michael Kang, former Education director-general Datuk Dr Habibah Abdul Rahim and Monash University Malaysia Associate Professor Dr Sivakumar Thurairajasingam.