PUTRAJAYA, March 11 — Prime Minister Tan Sri Muhyiddin Yassin said today all the four senior ministers of the Cabinet are of equal standing.
Any one of them will stand in for him when he is not in the country, he said.
“They are all equal. I told the ministers that in my absence, (Datuk Seri Mohamed) Azmin (Ali) will chair the Cabinet meeting.
“If he is not available too, (Datuk Seri) Ismail (Sabri Yaakob) will chair the meeting. I have a lot of support and I think this will be a functional cabinet to deliver to all Malaysians,” he told a press conference after chairing the maiden Cabinet meeting of the new Perikatan Nasional (PN) government here.
The PN government comprises Bersatu, which Muhyiddin leads, Barisan Nasional and PAS. Gabungan Parti Sarawak (GPS) is friendly to PN.
Besides Azmin and Ismail Sabri, the other senior ministers are Datuk Seri Fadillah Yusof and Mohd Radzi Md Jidin.
Azmin is also International Trade and Industry Minister; Ismail Sabri, Defence Minister; Fadillah, Works Minister and Mohd Radzi, Education Minister.
They were among the 31 ministers who took their oath of office yesterday. For the first time in the history of the country, the Cabinet does not have a deputy prime minister. This explains the need for the senior ministers.
Muhyiddin today explained to the Cabinet the need for the senior ministers, saying they will take charge of clusters of ministries divided into four sectors, namely economy, security, infrastructure, and education and social.
He said the Chief Secretary to the Government, Datuk Seri Mohd Zuki Ali, is in the process of identifying the ministries for each cluster, ensuring that there is no overlap.
Muhyiddin said the senior ministers will lead discussions to find solutions to issues and determine the direction of the ministries. — Bernama
