Muhyiddin’s Cabinet geared for survival, says analyst

Prime Minister Muhyiddin Yassin announcing his Cabinet line-up yesterday.

PETALING JAYA: A political analyst has hailed Muhyiddin Yassin’s move to exclude the position of deputy prime minister from his Cabinet, calling it a good strategy which will help ensure his political survival.

Universiti Utara Malaysia’s Kamarul Zaman Yusoff told FMT that choosing a deputy from any of the Perikatan Nasional component parties would have opened Muhyiddin to unhappiness and criticism from within the coalition.

“There are those from Umno and PPBM who would be targeting the DPM post,” he said. “Giving it to one party would lead to the dissatisfaction of another.”

But omitting the post would ensure healthy competition among those contending for the prime minister’s post after Muhyiddin’s tenure, he added.

Muhyiddin’s line-up, announced yesterday, also saw deputy ministers outnumbering the ministers at 38 to 32.

However, Kamarul said this could not be avoided.

“Muhyiddin needs to get a hold of as many MPs as possible lest they run away to another bloc,” he said.

By increasing the number of ministers and deputy ministers from East Malaysia, he added, Muhyiddin was also ensuring better support from Sabah and Sarawak.

The previous Pakatan Harapan (PH) administration had four full ministers and three deputy ministers from East Malaysia. Muhyiddin’s, meanwhile, has six full ministers and 11 deputies.

James Chin of the University of Tasmania’s Asia Institute said Muhyiddin’s Cabinet was similar to the old Barisan Nasional line-up which was much larger than that of PH.

He said Muhyiddin could be showing his willingness to try “something new” by introducing senior ministers to coordinate between ministries.

“Whether it will work or not, we have to wait and see,” he told FMT.

He said some of the biggest “winners” in Muhyiddin’s line-up were the former PKR leaders aligned with Mohamed Azmin Ali, all but one of whom were appointed as ministers or deputy ministers.

Rashid Hasnon is already Dewan Rakyat deputy speaker while the appointment of Hanifah Hajar Taib, the Mukah MP and daughter of Sarawak governor Abdul Taib Mahmud, shows that the former chief minister is still “very influential”, he said.

He too said that the Cabinet composition was to ensure Muhyiddin’s survival, adding that it would likely change closer to the 15th general election.

Azmi Hassan from Universiti Teknologi Malaysia meanwhile said Muhyiddin’s appointment of PBB senior vice-president Fadillah Yusof as one of four senior ministers showed his focus on the needs of Sabah and Sarawak.

“In fact, to me, Sabah and Sarawak are the biggest winners. They have more representation, a senior minister and a minister in the Prime Minister’s Department portfolio especially for Sabah and Sarawak affairs.”

He added that the four senior ministers were a reflection of the four parties “holding Perikatan Nasional together as a government”, and that the large Cabinet showed the need for power-sharing within the coalition. - FMT