Dr M: Non-performing ministers will be replaced

The prime minister says there is no such thing as a perfect Cabinet, but that those who do not perform will be replaced.

Prime Minister Dr Mahathir Mohamad says the Pakatan Harapan government must give a chance to new people.

KUALA LUMPUR: Prime Minister Dr Mahathir Mohamad says non-performing ministers in the Cabinet will be dropped and replaced by other more qualified members of Parliament.

He said selecting Cabinet members was not easy, and that no Cabinet was ever perfect and free from public criticism.

“There is no perfect Cabinet. There will always be defects. No matter who we choose, there are bound to be people who will express dissatisfaction. I know many people are not happy with my selection. But we cannot satisfy everybody.

“So we will try. If their performance is unsatisfactory, we will drop them and choose someone else. But we have to give a chance to new people, and we also have to take into consideration requests by the women. So it’s not easy to fill up the Cabinet posts,” he told reporters after the swearing in of ministers at the Istana Negara here yesterday.

He said he would now be able to hold a Cabinet meeting although several other ministerial posts had yet to be filled.

He added that the number of ministers would likely reach 28, including representatives from Sabah and Sarawak.

When asked about criticism over his selection of Maszlee Malik as education minister, he cited Maszlee’s credentials as a professor and an intellectual with a religious academic background.

“We cannot simply choose an old guard or someone with ‘connections’. We have to give others a chance. Many of the new ministers do not have experience. So we have to get the assistance of experts,” he said. -FMT