GE15: Record number of ministers dumped

 

(From left) Khairy Jamaluddin, Tengku Zafrul Aziz and Azmin Ali were among eight ministers who lost in GE15.

PETALING JAYA: The 15th general election (GE15) saw the largest number of serving ministers losing their seats, being dropped from contesting, or opting to stay out voluntarily.

Voters threw out a total of eight ministers, representing Umno, Bersatu, PBS and Parti Bangsa Malaysia (PBM).

The Umno ministers were Khairy Jamaluddin (health), Tengku Zafrul Aziz (finance) and Reezal Merican Naina Merican (housing and local government).

Those from Bersatu were Azmin Ali (international trade and industry), Ahmad Faizal Azumu (youth and sports), and Rina Harun (women, family and community development).

PBM’s Zuraida Kamaruddin (plantation industries and commodities) and PBS’ Maximus Ongkili (Sabah and Sarawak affairs) round up the list. Another casualty was MIC president SA Vigneswaran, who was the prime minister’s special envoy to South Asia with ministerial status.

Prior to nomination day, BN chairman Ahmad Zahid Hamidi dropped three ministers from the list of candidates, namely Annuar Musa (communications and multimedia), Noh Omar (entrepreneur development and cooperatives) and Shahidan Kassim (federal territories). However, Shahidan joined Perikatan Nasional (PN) and retained his Arau parliamentary seat.

Deputy foreign minister Kamarudin Jaffar, from Bersatu, was also voted out in Bandar Tun Razak, while Dewan Rakyat deputy speaker Rashid Hasnon failed to retain the Batu Pahat seat.

Ministers who opted out of standing in GE15 were PBB’s Wan Junaidi Tuanku Jaafar (law) and Bersatu’s Mustapa Mohamed (economic affairs). - FMT