Mahathir’s aide takes a swipe at Tengku Zafrul’s appointment

 

Tengku Zafrul Aziz (left) was appointed a minister but not Dzulkefly Ahmad, a former minister, who defeated Tengku Zafrul in Kuala Selangor at the general election.

PETALING JAYA: An aide to Dr Mahathir Mohamad has highlighted the irony in Prime Minister Anwar Ibrahim’s decision to appoint defeated election candidate Tengku Zafrul Aziz to his Cabinet instead of Dzulkefly Ahmad.

Dzulkefly, a former health minister, had retained the Kuala Selangor seat for Pakatan Harapan against Tengku Zafrul of Barisan Nasional and two other candidates.

However, tonight Anwar announced that Tengku Zafrul, the former finance minister would be a part of his Cabinet.

Tengku Zafrul will be made a senator before he takes office as minister.

“Poor Dzulkefly, he won in Kuala Selangor but wasn’t appointed minister. The person he beat, however, was appointed international trade and industry minister,” tweeted Adam Mukhriz Muhayeedin, who is Mahathir’s press secretary.

Adam also questioned Anwar’s decision to take on the finance portfolio. “What happened to the principle of a prime minister not holding the finance portfolio or other portfolios?”

In its 2018 general election manifesto, Pakatan Harapan had pledged that the prime minister would not hold another ministerial portfolio simultaneously.

Anwar’s Cabinet comprises 28 ministers including two deputy prime ministers, Ahmad Zahid Hamidi and Fadillah Yusof. - FMT