Wednesday, March 19, 2008
Datuk Seri Abdullah Ahmad Badawi a.k.a PAK LAH unveiled a new smaller Cabinet, dropped senior ministers and brought in 50% new faces yesterday, with 16 of the 32 ministers being newcomers. And in a surprise move, he also did away with parliamentary secretaries.
The Prime Minister, who retained the Finance portfolio, named Datuk Seri Najib Tun Razak as the Deputy Prime Minister and Defence Minister.
Abdullah told a packed press conference at his office here he had incorporated many changes to his administration to enable the government machinery to implement its responsibilities more effectively.
# Cabinet trimmed to 27 ministries, comprising 32 ministers and 37 deputy ministers.
# Six ministers from previous Cabinet dropped.
# Sabah and Sarawak get more deputy ministers.
# Datuk Dr Ng Yen Yen becomes MCA’s first woman minister.
# Datuk Shahrir Samad makes a return to Cabinet after 21 years.
# Tan Sri Muhammad Muhammad Taib named Rural and Regional Development Minister.
# Former Maybank CEO Datuk Amirsham A. Aziz named Minister in charge of the Economic Planning Unit.
# Prominent lawyer Datuk Zaid Ibrahim appointed as de facto Law Minister to reform judiciary.
# Datuk Seri Shahrizat Abdul Jalil appointed special adviser to Prime Minister for women and social development.
# Home Affairs Ministry and the Internal Security Ministry re-merged.
# Unity, Culture, Arts and Heritage Ministry formed - National Unity and Integration Department absorbed into the Culture, Arts and Heritage Ministry.
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