Former MPs surprised by just one Indian in Cabinet

 

Kasthuri Patto and Charles Santiago both said they had hoped for more than one Indian member in the new Cabinet.

PETALING JAYA: Two former MPs have expressed their surprise at the lack of Indian representation in Prime Minister Anwar Ibrahim’s Cabinet.

Batu Gajah MP V Sivakumar of DAP is the sole Indian member. As human resources minister, he follows in the footsteps of party comrade M Kula Segaran who was minister from 2018 to 2020.

“While the road map for politics should be colour blind… I think we are still too tender for that,” said former Batu Kawan MP Kasthuri Patto.

She told FMT: “I was hoping for more than one (Indian) minister (but) I’m quite excited to see what he (Sivakumar) will bring to the table.”

Kasthuri also said she was happy to see Hannah Yeoh appointed the youth and sports minister. “The last female leader to take that role was Azalina Othman Said from 2004 to 2008, so it is refreshing to see a female there again,” she said.

Former Klang MP Charles Santiago said it would not have been easy for Anwar to accommodate the demands of all the parties within his unity government.

“The Cabinet has got all representation from the Peninsula, Sabah and Sarawak – but I think there could have been room for another Indian representative. Perhaps the national unity minister could have been given to an Indian,” he said.

Anwar has named a 28-member Cabinet for his unity government.

There are five women ministers, and four ministers who are not MPs and must be appointed as senators before they can take office. They are Tengku Zafrul Aziz, Saifuddin Nasution Ismail, Zambry Abd Kadir and Na’im Mokhtar.

The Cabinet comprises members from Pakatan Harapan (15 seats) through PKR, DAP, Amanah and Upko; Barisan Nasional (6) through Umno; Gabungan Parti Sarawak (5) through PBB, PRS and PDP; and Gabungan Rakyat Sabah (1) through Sabah Bersatu. One minister, Na’im, is not a party member. - FMT