PETALING JAYA: Umno president Ahmad Zahid Hamidi has thanked Prime Minister Anwar Ibrahim for making Barisan Nasional (BN) MPs part of the new Cabinet line-up.
Zahid said he was confident the newly-formed government would be able to face the challenges that lie ahead for the nation.
“These ministerial posts are not ‘spoils of war’, but a serious responsibility to bear given the tough economic conditions predicted for the coming year,” he said in a Facebook post.
The BN MPs made ministers in Anwar’s 28-member Cabinet include BN deputy chairman Mohamad Hasan (defence), BN secretary-general Zambry Abd Kadir (foreign affairs), and Umno vice-president Khaled Nordin (higher education).
Selangor BN treasurer Tengku Zafrul Aziz was appointed international trade and industry minister despite having lost to Pakatan Harapan’s Dzulkefly Ahmad in Kuala Selangor in the general election (GE15).
The BN chairman also called for all parties to put a halt to any provocative statements and all other actions that may incite the people’s anger.
Zahid and Gabungan Parti Sarawak’s (GPS) Fadillah Yusof were appointed deputy prime ministers in the unity government led by Anwar.
Zahid will also be rural and regional development minister while Fadillah is plantations and commodities minister.
Previously, NGOs like Bersih and prominent figures such as ex-federal minister Rafidah Aziz had urged against including politicians with court cases in the Cabinet.
MPs with ongoing court cases include Zahid, DAP chairman Lim Guan Eng, Muda president Syed Saddiq Syed Abdul Rahman and Sabah Umno chief Bung Moktar Radin.
PKR vice-president Nik Nazmi Nik Ahmad, who is in Anwar’s Cabinet, had also said it should be free of MPs with ongoing court cases.
However, former PKR vice-president Tian Chua said Zahid could play a key role in stabilising Anwar’s government since he was instrumental in the formation of the unity government. - FMT
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