Malaysian PM brings fresh faces to post-election cabinet

Malaysian PM brings fresh faces to post-election cabinet

• "More than half of the cabinet ministers are new faces and I hope they can bserve the people more effectively and bring a fresh approach to the country's administration," Abdullah told a press conference.


• "It shows a refreshing change of face, it shows that the PM at least would like to give the impression that he is changing some of the old guard," said Tricia Yeoh from the Centre for Public Policy Studies think-tank.


• Lim Kit Siang from the opposition alliance which humbled the coalition at the recent polls, said Abdullah, who came to power in late 2003, had ignored the public for too long. "He is beginning to listen to the people's wishes, although four years and two months late," he said.

Malaysia's Prime Minister Abdullah Ahmad Badawi on Tuesday unveiled a new slimline cabinet, dropping veteran politicians and appointing fresh faces after unprecedented election losses.

Abdullah was under pressure to rejuvenate his administration after March 8 polls that saw the Barisan Nasional coalition lose its two-thirds majority for the first time in four decades, triggering calls for his resignation.

Trade minister Rafidah Aziz, who had held the post since 1987, was the biggest casualty of the reshuffle, which also saw some government critics given influential roles.

"More than half of the cabinet ministers are new faces and I hope they can serve the people more effectively and bring a fresh approach to the country's administration," Abdullah told a press conference. – MORE
Source: AFP via MSN News - http://news.my.msn.com/regional/article.aspx?cp-documentid=1295884

PM announces new Cabinet line-up: PUTRAJAYA: Prime Minister Datuk Seri Abdullah Ahmad Badawi announced his new administration on Tuesday, trimming his Cabinet from 32 to 27 seats, of which more than half featured new faces.

"I hope they will perform better than before and I believe that with the choice we have made we will be able to fulfil our agenda," he said.

"I would like to tell you that this term we would go into vigorous implementation of our policies and projects. I have heard many times, and read many articles and comments by the people who said Pak Lah (Abdullah) has worked out the policies well but is short on implementation," he told a packed press conference at his office.

Abdullah, who retained his Finance portfolio, scrapped the post of parliamentary secretary. – MORE http://www.thestar.com.my/news/story.asp?file=/2008/3/18/nation/20080318122250&sec=nation

NEW CABINET LINE-UP: Big surprises as Umno stalwarts dropped…and return - Datuk Seri Abdullah Ahmad Badawi unveiled a Cabinet line-up today full of major surprises. He dropped Umno stalwarts Datuk Seri Rafidah Aziz, Datuk Seri Radzi Sheikh Ahmad, Datuk Seri Dr Jamaluddin Jarjis, Datuk Seri Tengku Adnan Tengku Mansor and Datuk Seri Azmi Khalid when he made the announcement at his office in Putrajaya. But the biggest surprise was reserved for the replacements the Prime Minister brought in: Datuk Zaid Ibrahim, who was not even picked to contest in the March 8 polls, has been made a minister and so is Datuk Shahrir Samad, returning after a long 22-year hiatus. From out of the wilderness, former Selangor Mentri Besar and Umno information chief Tan Sri Muhammad Muhammad Taib was made Rural and Regional Development Minister.
The Abdullah Cabinet is a now 69-member administration, down from 90, and comprises 31 ministers and 37 deputy ministers. For the first time in Cabinet history, the posts of parliamentary secretaries have been scrapped, based on the Prime Minister’s desire to optimise Cabinet deputy ministers to take over the work of these secretaries, especially in answering questions in the Dewan Rakyat. – MORE
http://www.nst.com.my/Current_News/NST/Tuesday/Frontpage/20080318125809/Article/index_html

PM unveils ‘trimmed-down’ cabinet - breaking news Prime Minister Abdullah Ahmad Badawi today announced his ‘trimmed-down’ cabinet. During a 20-minute press conference at his office in Putrajaya, Abdullah said he has decided not to appoint any parliamentary secretaries - bringing the number of appointments down from 90 to 68. “This means that the ministers and the deputy ministers will have to be more active in parliament,” he said.
He has also dropped many notable veterans and roped in new faces, who now make up half of the cabinet.
“I hope they can serve the people effectively,” he told journalists. – MORE http://dinmerican.wordpress.com/2008/03/18/pm-unveils-trimmed-down-cabinet/