Malaysian Prime Minister Abdullah Ahmad Badawi yesterday unveiled an enlarged cabinet with 14 new faces in a major overhaul after his landslide election victory.
He said three ministries -- home, education, culture, arts and tourism -- would be split up, five ministries renamed to reflect new focus and two new ones formed.
Abdullah kept the key finance and internal security portfolios.
There are 34 ministers in the new line-up, up from 29, and Abdullah said 14 of the ministers were new faces. There was also an increase of women representatives and younger people.
"This is a major restructuring of the government," he told a news conference broadcast live on national television.
"All these changes are made to ensure effective and efficient government service ... to provide more specific focus and to streamline the administration. The economy will benefit from the changes."
The opposition Democratic Action Party (DAP) described the new cabinet as "bloated and flabby."
"His first cabinet is as flawed as the 2004 elections which gave him a landslide victory. He has failed his first acid test," DAP chairman Lim Kit Siang told reporters.
The multi-racial National Front coalition won 90 percent of parliamentary seats on Sunday but opposition parties had said there were irregularities in the electoral roll that kept thousands of voters from the ballot box.
Lim said it was disappointing that Abdullah kept the key finance and internal security posts which he inherited from former premier Mahathir Mohamad.
"Why is he holding the two ministries? Are there no qualified or trustworthy person to lead the two ministries," he said.
Abdullah defended the bigger cabinet, saying it would allow ministers to focus on specific duties and cut bureaucracy.
"These changes are made to enable ministers to focus [on their jobs]," he told reporters.
Abdullah said the new line-up would enhance the nation's competitiveness and boost Malaysia's aim to become a developed country by 2020.
"The changes in the new administration are made to fulfil our promises... a government that supports the people and that will work to ensure a better, peaceful and prosperous future," he added.
Abdullah named Azmi Khalid as new home affairs minister.
Deputy Prime Minister Najib Razak retained his defense portfolio while Hishamuddin Hussein was was promoted to education minister. Newcomer and Abdullah loyalist Azalina Othman is the youth and sports minister.
Veteran Trade Minister Rafidah Aziz retained her post, as did Foreign Minister Syed Hamid Albar.
Abdullah created two new ministries for natural resources and environment, and federal territory.
The national unity, and women and family development ministries were merged to become women, families and social development.
Five ministries were renamed as plantation enterprises and commodities; science and technology; power, water and telecommunications; rural and regional development; and agriculture and agro-based industries.
Abdullah also abolished the 10-year rotation system for the chief minister of Sabah state on Borneo island. The post has been rotated every two years among leaders of the three major communities since the ruling coalition won power in 1994.
The ministers are expected to be sworn in Tuesday, a day before the weekly cabinet meeting.
Chinese Nationalist Party (KMT) Chairman Eric Chu (朱立倫), spokeswoman Yang Chih-yu (楊智伃) and Legislator Hsieh Lung-chieh (謝龍介) would be summoned by police for questioning for leading an illegal assembly on Thursday evening last week, Minister of the Interior Liu Shyh-fang (劉世芳) said today. The three KMT officials led an assembly outside the Taipei City Prosecutors’ Office, a restricted area where public assembly is not allowed, protesting the questioning of several KMT staff and searches of KMT headquarters and offices in a recall petition forgery case. Chu, Yang and Hsieh are all suspected of contravening the Assembly and Parade Act (集會遊行法) by holding
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