KUALA LUMPUR, Dec 13 — The new Cabinet line-up Prime Minister Datuk Seri Anwar Ibrahim unveiled yesterday will instil greater public confidence in his multi-party coalition government after months of intense speculation about a reshuffle, political analysts said today.
Coming just after the one-year anniversary since Anwar’s government formation, the reshuffle saw the swearing-in of five new ministers — three of whom were former Cabinet members from past administrations — bringing the total number of ministers and deputies in Anwar’s administration to 60.
Among returnees yesterday were Titiwangsa MP Datuk Seri Johari Abdul Ghani, Damansara MP Gobind Singh Deo, and Kuala Selangor MP Datuk Seri Dzulkefly Ahmad who were all appointed as Cabinet members.
Singapore Institute of International Affairs senior fellow Oh Ei Sun said the reshuffle, particularly the inclusion of the three ex-ministers, should result in more favourable perception of the Cabinet’s performance.
“They are widely considered to be very capable, so hopefully with them in the Cabinet, people will view this government differently and that it is finally getting its act together,” he told Malay Mail.
Under the new line-up, Johari will take on the plantation industries and commodities portfolio; Dzulkefly, the health portfolio; while Gobind will head the newly formed Digital Ministry.
Nusantara Academy for Strategic Research (NASR) senior fellow Azmi Hassan said the likes of Gobind, Johari Abdul, and Dzulkefly would lend some of their credibility to the administration, as they had been well regarded during their previous stints in the Cabinet.
Johari Abdul served as second finance minister from 2016 to 2018 during former prime minister Datuk Seri Najib Razak’s administration while both Gobind and Dzulkefly served during the short-lived Pakatan Harapan (PH) administration between 2018-2020 under Tun Dr Mahathir Mohamad.
“For Gobind, Malaysia is going big on digital economy and I think you need a safe hand to spearhead this; for Dr Dzulkefly there is not much to complain about Dr Zaliha (Mustafa) but Anwar is trying to portray the health issue is in safe hands with upcoming surge of Covid-19, we need some reassurance and everyone was contended during his last tenure.
“And as for Johari Abdul even though most of us including me expected him to be in the Finance Ministry, but in this case he is given quite a heavy portfolio but this I would consider an upgrade because he has been very vocal about our economy and quite appropriate,” Azmi said.
Azmi suggested that two of the main benefactors were DAP and Umno that each gained an extra seat in the Cabinet, with the Malay nationalist party having the edge by seeing grassroots favourite Johari Abdul brought back into power.
“Even though three portfolios involving Umno representatives are being reshuffled, it is held by the party and this shows that Umno and DAP are on the same level in the unity government, they are the biggest winner in terms of strategic strength,” he said.
In the reshuffle, three existing Umno ministers swapped portfolios: Datuk Seri Mohamad Hasan, who was previously the defence minister, will now helm the Foreign Ministry; previously the higher education minister, Datuk Seri Mohamed Khaled Nordin will take on the defence portfolio; and Datuk Seri Zambry Abdul Kadir, who was foreign minister, will now take on the Higher Education Ministry.
Azmi also said the Opposition Perikatan Nasional would be considered the biggest loser as the coalition would want to attack the Cabinet reshuffle to distract from the technical defections of several of its lawmakers who pledged support to Anwar and his unity government.
“It is a strategic factor that cannot be complained or criticised by PN in this case,” he said.
Universiti Sains Malaysia’s political science professor Ahmad Fauzi Abdul Hamid agreed that the return of familiar faces was Anwar’s attempt to restore public confidence following criticism of his previous Cabinet, which included those charged or being investigated for corruption.
One such example, Ahmad Fauzi noted, is former human resources minister V. Sivakumar, who is the only Cabinet member to be dropped following a corruption investigation over alleged cash kickbacks from an unnamed businessman who had been detained alongside two ministerial aides.
“Yes. It broadly indicates that his initial experimentation with some new figures helming certain portfolios,” he said of Anwar’s attempt to salvage his administration’s unpopularity.
Still, Ahmad Fauzi said how the return of familiar faces affects the government’s popularity would still depend on its performance in key economic indicators.
“So, this remains to be seen but the unity government definitely has a lot to prove, especially for Anwar who has deliberately chosen to operate outside the frameworks set by some of PH’s promises in GE15.
“If the unity government still cannot deliver in four years’ time, then just get ready to be punished in GE16,” he said.
Ahmad Fauzi also said he saw neither winners nor losers in the announcement, as he had reservations over some of the prime minister’s selections.
He noted that the latest line-up has deprived the religious affairs portfolio of an elected people’s representative since both minister and his deputy were senators.
He said this was a poor reflection on the country’s democracy as well as the depth of Anwar’s national unity government, as the move to recruit from outside the pool of existing lawmakers suggested a lack of quality in their ranks.
He also said the new line-up showed Anwar is further consolidating his grip on the Finance Ministry, arguably the most powerful portfolio in the Cabinet.
Ahmad Fauzi also disapproved of the larger Cabinet size, given Anwar’s previous emphasis on efficiency.
When announcing his new Cabinet yesterday, Anwar said its composition must move with the times and reflect ministers’ performance.
