UALA LUMPUR, Dec 12 — Following is the full list of Cabinet ministers and deputy ministers in the unity government following the Cabinet reshuffle announced by Prime Minister Datuk Seri Anwar Ibrahim today.
Prime Minister and Minister of Finance
Datuk Seri Anwar Ibrahim
Minister of Finance II
Datuk Seri Amir Hamzah Azizan (new)
Deputy Minister of Finance
Lim Hui Ying (formerly Deputy Education Minister)
Deputy Prime Minister and Minister of Rural and Regional Development
Datuk Seri Ahmad Zahid Hamidi
Deputy Minister of Rural and Regional Development
Datuk Rubiah Wang
Deputy Prime Minister and Minister of Energy Transition and Public Utilities (a new ministry — split from the Ministry of Natural Resources, Environment and Climate Change (NRECC))
Datuk Seri Fadillah Yusof (also in charge of Sabah, Sarawak Affairs)
Deputy Minister of Energy Transition and Public Utilities
Akmal Nasrullah Mohd Nasir
Minister of Transport
Anthony Loke Siew Fook
Deputy Minister of Transport
Datuk Hasbi Habibollah
Minister of Agriculture and Food Securities
Datuk Seri Mohamad Sabu
Deputy Minister of Agriculture and Food Securities
Datuk Arthur Joseph Kurup (formerly Deputy Minister of Science, Technology and Innovation)
Minister of Economy
Rafizi Ramli
Deputy Minister of Economy
Datuk Hanifah Hajar Taib
Minister of Local Government Development
Nga Kor Ming
Deputy Minister of Local Government Development
Datuk Aiman Athirah Sabu (formerly Deputy Minister of Women, Family and Community Development)
Ministry of Foreign Affairs
Datuk Seri Mohamad Hasan (formerly Minister of Defence)
Deputy Minister of Foreign Affairs
Datuk Mohamad Alamin
Minister of Works
Datuk Seri Alexander Nanta Linggi
Deputy Minister of Works
Datuk Seri Ahmad Maslan (formerly Deputy Minister of Finance)
Minister of Home Affairs
Datuk Seri Saifuddin Nasution Ismail
Deputy Minister of Home Affairs
Datuk Seri Dr Shamsul Anuar Nasarah
Minister of Investment, Trade and Industry
Datuk Seri Tengku Zafrul Abdul Aziz
Deputy Minister of Investment, Trade and Industry
Liew Chin Tong
Minister of Defence
Datuk Seri Mohamed Khaled Nordin (formerly Minister of Higher Education)
Deputy Minister of Defence
Adly Zahari
Minister of Science, Technology and Innovation
Chang Lih Kang
Deputy Minister of Science, Technology and Innovation
Datuk Mohammad Yusof Apdal (formerly Deputy Higher Education Minister)
Minister of Women, Family and Community Development
Datuk Seri Nancy Shukri
Deputy Minister of Women, Family and Community Development
Datuk Seri Noraini Ahmad (new)
Minister in the Prime Minister’s Department (Law and Institutional Reform)
Datuk Seri Azalina Othman Said
Deputy Minister in the Prime Minister’s Department (Law and Institutional Reform)
M.Kulasegaran (new)
Minister of Natural Resources and Sustainability (a new ministry — split from NRECC)
Nik Nazmi Nik Ahmad
Deputy Minister of Natural Resources and Sustainability
Datuk Seri Huang Tiong Sii
Minister of Entrepreneur Development and Cooperatives
Datuk Ewon Benedick
Deputy Minister of Entrepreneur Development and Cooperatives
Datuk R. Ramanan (new)
Minister of Higher Education
Datuk Seri Zambry Abd Kadir (formerly Minister of Foreign Affairs)
Deputy Minister of Higher Education
Datuk Mustapha @ Mohd Yunus Sakmud (formerly Deputy Minister of Human Resources)
Minister of Tourism, Arts and Culture
Datuk Seri Tiong King Sing
Deputy Minister of Tourism, Arts and Culture
Khairul Firdaus Akbar Khan
Minister of Communications (a new ministry — split from Ministry of Communications and Digital)
Fahmi Fadzil
Deputy Minister of Communications
Teo Nie Ching
Minister of Education
Fadhlina Sidek
Deputy Minister of Education
Wong Kah Woh (new)
Minister of Unity
Datuk Aaron Ago Anak Dagang
Deputy Minister of Unity
Saraswathy Kandasami (formerly Deputy Minister of Entrepreneur Development and Cooperatives)
Minister in the Prime Minister’s Department (Religious Affairs)
Datuk Mohd Na’im Mokhtar
Deputy Minister in the Prime Minister’s Department (Religious Affairs)
Zulkifli Hassan (new)
Minister of Youth and Sports
Hannah Yeoh
Deputy Minister of Youth and Sports
Adam Adli Abd Halim
Minister in the Prime Minister’s Department (Federal Territories)
Dr Zaliha Mustafa (formerly Minister of Health)
Minister of Domestic Trade and Cost of Living
Datuk Armizan Mohd Ali (formerly Minister in the Prime Minister’s Department in charge of Sabah, Sarawak Affairs and Special Functions)
Deputy Minister of Domestic Trade and Cost of Living
Fuziah Salleh
Minister of Plantation and Commodities
Datuk Seri Johari Abdul Ghani (new)
Deputy Minister of Plantation and Commodities
Datuk Chan Foon Hin (formerly Deputy Minister of Agriculture and Food Securities)
Minister of Health
Datuk Seri Dzulkefly Ahmad (new)
Deputy Minister of Health
Datuk Lukanisman Awang Sauni
Minister of Digital (a new ministry — split from Ministry of Communications and Digital)
Gobind Singh Deo
Deputy Minister of Digital
Datuk Ugak Anak Kumbong (formerly Deputy Minister of Special Functions and Sabah, Sarawak Affairs)
Minister of Human Resources
Steven Sim Chee Keong (new)
Deputy Minister of Human Resources
Datuk Seri Abdul Rahman Mohamad (formerly Deputy Minister of Works) — Bernama
Resolve people's issues quickly
New cabinet must prioritise tackling economic issues, say interest groups
PETALING JAYA: People’s issues – cost of living pressures, economic recovery and spurring investments – are the key issues that the new Cabinet must deliver amid a challenging 2024 outlook, say economic experts and business groups.
They say the new line-up must work fast to tackle the economic challenges, while delivering the promised key electoral and institutional reforms to demonstrate their capacity for governance.
Institute for Democracy and Economic Affairs (Ideas) chief executive officer Dr Tricia Yeoh said through the restructuring, the government is sending the signal that the issues of economy, health and cost of living are the key areas of focus, as seen in the new appointments.
She noted that the appointment of Datuk Seri Amir Hamzah Azizan as the Second Finance Minister in Prime Minister Datuk Seri Anwar Ibrahim’s latest Cabinet line-up has been “highly anticipated”.
The former EPF chief executive officer’s appointment is also likely to be welcomed by the market, given his strong corporate background, having been in Tenaga Nasional Bhd and MISC Bhd before joining EPF, said Yeoh.
“This appointment will strengthen the Finance Ministry’s policy execution and hopefully speed up the ministry’s plans towards fiscal consolidation,” she said.
Meanwhile, Yeoh said the new Domestic Trade and Consumer Affairs Minister Datuk Armizan Mohd Ali will have to focus on addressing cost of living issues, which has been the primary driver of dissatisfaction among voters in their perception of Anwar’s administration.
She also said the return of former ministers Gobind Singh Deo and Datuk Seri Dr Dzulkefly Ahmad to the Cabinet in their respective roles as Digital Minister and Health Minister was interesting as they had experience under the previous Pakatan Harapan administration.
Prof Dr Chung Tin Fah of HELP University said the new Cabinet must focus on delivering its manifesto promises, including bringing down cost of living, creating a more equitable social class, raising investment to grow the economy, and higher wages to share in growth prosperity.
“Investments and productivity are key drivers to help achieve these seemingly diverse goals,” he said.
Socio-Economic Research Centre (SERC) executive director Lee Heng Guie said the government has to execute the promised reforms and policies to strengthen the country’s economic resilience against the still uncertain global environment in 2024.
“The government needs to rebuild trust with the people and businesses that it can deliver better outcomes through good governance and responsible fiscal management,” he said, adding that easing cost of doing business, creating a better investment climate, mitigating the higher cost of living, and generating better income jobs should be the economic agenda.
SME Association of Malaysia president Ding Hong Sing said economic development must be prioritised as the country’s economy has yet to improve while the cost of living continues to rise.
“In this regard, our expectations are high for the Second Finance Minister, Datuk Seri Amir Hamzah Azizan.
“With his extensive management experience in EPF, we believe he can play a crucial role in revitalising the national economy,” he said, adding that Hamzah must engage with the business sector and listen to industry suggestions before implementing policies.
“Ensuring the Minister comprehends the influence their policies may have on the business sector is pivotal. We must steer clear of any policies that could hinder our progress,” he said.
Ding also said that SMEs are more than willing to collaborate with the newly appointed Human Resources Minister Steven Sim to improve operations and drive the growth of the economy.
Kuala Lumpur and Selangor Indian Chamber of Commerce and Industry president Nivas Ragavan said the reshuffling is expected to serve as a positive beginning for 2024, particularly in bolstering efforts to enhance economic growth.
The government’s immediate focus must now be to address issues such as unemployment, inflation and economic recovery, said Nivas.
“The foreign direct investments secured in 2023 by the Investment, Trade and Industry Ministry during the trade delegations to various countries especially China and the United States should be quickly realised in 2024 so that adequate employment, business opportunities in the supply chain, and significant growth of the gross domestic product can be attained.
“We also hope that the Cabinet will concentrate on more reforms in 2024,” he said.
Associated Chinese Chambers of Commerce and Industry of Malaysia president Tan Sri Low Kian Chuan said the new Cabinet must work to implement promised reforms and policies.
Low emphasised the necessity of improving income levels and mitigating the impact of the rising cost of living, as well as the importance of close cooperation between the ministries and civil servants to enhance public delivery of services, streamlining of business investment procedures, and the reduction in the overall cost of doing business.
Low added the new ministers should prioritise these key areas, acknowledging the pressing need to address the cost of living challenges that Malaysians face.
Malay Chamber of Commerce president Norsyahrin Hamidon said the country’s economy has not fully recovered and numerous SMEs continue to face significant challenges.
He hoped that the new ministers, especially the Second Finance Minister, would quickly inject their expertise towards economic recovery and the strengthening of businesses, though he added that it is important that the new Cabinet members be given six months to demonstrate their capabilities.
Prime Minister and Minister of Finance
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