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Joseph Sipalan

Hadi Azmi

Malaysia’s Prime Minister Anwar Ibrahim on Friday unveiled a new cabinet that included the corruption-haunted Ahmad Zahid Hamidi as the country’s No 2 leader, indicative of compromises struck to keep the fragile administration intact.
Anwar, 75, named himself finance minister – a position he held for seven years in the 1990s before he was plunged into political wilderness and jailed following a fallout with then leader Mahathir Mohamad.
Alongside Ahmad Zahid, Fadillah Yusof, a member of the GPS coalition from the state of Sarawak in Malaysian Borneo, was also named deputy premier – keeping with Anwar’s promise to give the high-ranking positions to his two most powerful allies.
Fadillah is the country’s first deputy prime minister from Malaysian Borneo.
Ahmad Zahid will concurrently serve as Rural and Regional Development Minister, while Fadillah will also serve as Plantations and Commodities Minister.

The new cabinet, comprising 28 ministers in total, will be sworn in by the king on Saturday. The total number of ministers is lower than the 31 officials in the cabinet of Anwar’s predecessor, Ismail Sabri Yaakob.
The three main alliances in the government, Anwar’s Pakatan Harapan (PH), Ahmad Zahid’s Barisan Nasional (BN) and Fadillah’s GPS, constitute the “pillars” of the new administration, the prime minister said.
He added that he had the backing of other MPs, giving his administration the support of two-thirds of parliament. “This mandate gave us confidence to set up a cabinet line-up that is strong and works as a team, and is focused on accelerating fresh economic growth and the problems of the people,” Anwar said.
Here’s how Anwar can avoid a ‘toxic’ opposition and turn Malaysia around
Saifuddin Nasution Ismail, a long-time Anwar confidante and key member of the prime minister’s PH alliance, will be home minister – a highly influential position with remit over the police, immigration and registry of societies. Past Malaysian home ministers have faced accusations of using the government machinery to throttle dissenters.
Anthony Loke of the Democratic Action Party (DAP) – a PH constituent party – will be Transport Minister. The defence ministry will be helmed by Mohamad Hasan, who is the deputy leader of the BN alliance Ahmad Zahid leads. Rafizi Ramli, the combative deputy leader of Anwar’s own Parti Keadilan Rakyat (PKR), will be economic affairs minister.
Tengku Zafrul Aziz, finance minister from 2020 until the dissolution of parliament last month, will be the minister for international trade and industry. Zafrul, a BN member, lost to a PH candidate in the polls but is eligible to be a minister as he is an appointed senator.
There are five women in the 28-member cabinet, including DAP’s Hannah Yeoh who will be minister of youth and sports, BN member Azalina Othman who will be the de facto law minister and Sarawak MP Nancy Shukri, who will be the minister for women affairs, family and social development.
To lead the religious affairs ministry, Anwar picked Mohd Na’im Mokhtar who is currently the head of Malaysia’s Sharia Judicial Department. Mohd Na’im is the only non-politician appointed to the cabinet.
Of the various appointments, Ahmad Zahid being handed the deputy prime ministership was the most expected among political commentators, even though sceptics warned it would taint Anwar’s administration from the outset.
Ahmad Zahid is widely seen as a close ally of Najib Razak, the ex-leader defeated in 2018 polls and now in jail following a conviction linking him to the 1MDB financial scandal. Ahmad Zahid himself is facing corruption charges of his own for alleged money laundering and criminal breach of trust.
Along with Najib, Ahmad Zahid was among a slew of BN officials slapped with corruption charges following the 2018 vote, which Anwar’s PH won under the leadership of elder statesman Mahathir Mohamad.
The PH government collapsed in 2020, following an internal coup backed by Najib, Zahid and other BN heavyweights.
Nonetheless Ahmad Zahid’s support is key for Anwar’s current survival as prime minister. BN’s 30 MPs, along with lawmakers from Malaysian Borneo make up the more than 130 MPs who have so far said they back Anwar as prime minister.
Anwar’s own PH has 83 seats in the legislature, making it the biggest bloc in the 222-seat lower house of parliament. Anwar – on the advice of the country’s king – formed a unity government with Ahmad Zahid’s BN and the GPS and GRS coalitions from Malaysian Borneo.
Who is PAS, the single biggest party in Malaysia’s new parliament?
The conservative Malay-Muslim Perikatan Nasional (PN) bloc led by former prime minister Muhyiddin Yassin opted not to join the unity government, claiming it would be dominated by the Chinese-centric DAP.
PN, comprising Muhyiddin Bersatu party and the hardline Islamist PAS, have 73 seats and will occupy the opposition benches when parliament reconvenes on December 19.
One of the legislature’s first orders of business will be a vote of confidence that Anwar has said he will subject himself to, to underscore the parliamentary backing he has obtained.
The administrations of his predecessors Ismail Sabri and Muhyiddin were short-lived in part due to weak support among MPs and incessant internal backbiting.


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Malaysia’s PM Anwar Ibrahim to helm finance ministry, names corruption-haunted Ahmad Zahid Hamidi as DPM

Barisan Nasional chief Ahmad Zahid Hamidi. Photo: Reuters

Anwar said his new administration would be singularly focused on tackling citizens’ cost-of-living woes. Photo: Malaysia PMO/AP 

Malaysian PM Anwar builds cabinet amid raft of challenges from economy to US, China ties

Malaysia’s new leader Anwar Ibrahim during a press conference on his first day at the prime minister’s office in Putrajaya on Friday. Photo: Prime Minister’s Office of Malaysia via AP

Malaysia’s King Sultan Abdullah (right) with newly appointed PM Anwar Ibrahim (left) during the swearing-in ceremony on November 24, 2022. Photo: Pool via Reuters

Supporters hold Pakatan Harapan party flags as they celebrate Anwar Ibrahim being sworn in as prime minister outside the National Palace in Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia on Friday. Photo: Reuters

A vendor talks to his customer at wet market in Kuala Lumpur. Malaysia’s economy is set to expand at a slower pace in 2023. Photo: EPA-EFE

Çhina’s Foreign Minister Wang Yi (right) shakes hands with Malaysia’s Anwar Ibrahim in Beijing in October 2018. Photo: Pool/AFP

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Anwar Ibrahim waves to supporters in Kuala Lumpur as he is led into court to be charged on September 30, 1998. File photo: AP

Malaysia’s new prime minister, Anwar Ibrahim. Photo: AFP 

With a blackened left eye, former deputy prime minister Anwar Ibrahim waves to supporters as he is led into Petaling Jaya court in Kuala Lumpur to be charged, on September, 30, 1998. File photo: AP

Supporters of Anwar Ibrahim gather outside the National Palace on November 22, 2022. Photo: EPA-EFE 

Perikatan Nasional President Muhyiddin Yassin was ousted as prime minister after just 18 months in power. File photo: Bernama/dpa

Nurul Izzah, daughter of Anwar Ibrahim, lost her seat of Permatang Pauh in this year’s election. File photo: AFP 

Supporters of Anwar Ibrahim in Kuala Lumpur hold up Reformasi posters on August 10, 1999, Anwar’s 52nd birthday. File photo: AP 

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A pillion waves a PAS flag in Penang, Malaysia, on November 18, 2022. Photo: Reuters

People walk around after participating in Eid al-Fitr prayers in Kuala Lumpur. Political Islam has been a mainstay in Malaysian politics since the country’s independence from Britain in 1957. Photo: EPA-EFE

PAS party chief Abdul Hadi Awang (centre) said non-Muslims would take a secondary role in government if his party took a leadership position. Photo: AFP

A PAS supporter wraps his head with the party’s flag as he campaigns for PAS’ political coalition, Perikatan Nasional, on November 18, 2022. Photo: Reuters

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A worker inspects eggs at a poultry farm in Mentakab, Malaysia’s Pahang state. Photo: AFP 

Malaysian Prime Minister Anwar Ibrahim. Photo: Bernama/dpa

Chicken and eggs are pictured at a poultry farm in Mentakab, Malaysia’s Pahang state. Photo: AFP 

A Malaysian worker inspects eggs at a poultry farm in Pahang. Photo: AFP 

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Malaysia’s new Prime Minister Anwar Ibrahim during his swearing-in ceremony on Thursday. Photo: via Xinhua

Malaysia’s new Prime Minister Anwar Ibrahim and his wife Wan Azizah. Photo: AP

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Ahmad Zahid, a former deputy PM and key ally of jailed ex-leader Najib Razak, will be the country’s No 2 leader
Anwar’s cabinet announcement comes 10 days after his appointment and amid intense jockeying for top positions among parties in his ‘unity government’



Ahmad Zahid Hamidi, a former deputy PM and key ally of jailed ex-leader Najib Razak, is Malaysia’s new No 2 leader.


Anwar Ibrahim

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