PH component parties to submit 3 names for desired ministries
FMT Reporters | May 13, 2018
Dr Mahathir Mohamad says the aim is to eventually have a 25-member Cabinet.
Dr Mahathir said the Cabinet will make decisions based on majority rule instead of consensus as this may stifle the decision-making process.
PETALING JAYA: Prime Minister Dr Mahathir Mohamad says he aims to fill the remaining seven Cabinet slots in the coming week after each Pakatan Harapan component party submits three names for the desired ministries.
In a television broadcast, Mahathir said the 10 Cabinet positions will not be based on the proportion of seats won by PH parties.
“The prime minister will go through the list of candidates and will decide who holds what portfolio.
“If needed, I will call the leaders of each party to get more information on their primary choices and explain why a certain candidate is selected for a certain ministry.”
Mahathir said eventually PH was looking to have 25 ministries and that if a party is under-represented in the 10-man cabinet based on the seats they won, then it will be made up for in the other 15 ministries which will be announced later.
He added there was also room for Cabinet members from parties in Sabah and Sarawak. While this may lead to a bigger Cabinet, ideally, there should be no more than 30 ministries.
“The previous regime had too many ministries. We don’t want too many,” he said.
Mahathir also said that deputy ministers will be appointed and that, ideally, the deputies will come from parties that were different from the those of the ministers.
He said the Cabinet will also make decisions based on majority rule instead of consensus as this may stifle the decision-making process.
Yesterday, PKR vice-president Rafizi Ramli had questioned why no PKR member was present at the meeting of coalition party leaders to fill Cabinet positions.
“PKR assumes that the discussions are still under way and no final decision had been made,” he had said. He also said all such decisions must be made by consensus.
Following that outburst, PKR de facto leader Anwar Ibrahim said the party was firmly behind Mahathir’s leadership.
He said he had relayed to Mahathir the concerns of party leaders who wanted “a more inclusive approach to negotiations”.
“Mahathir accepted these views, but all decisions must be made by the Pakatan Harapan Presidential Council,” Anwar said.
Mahathir had named PPBM president Muhyiddin Yassin to be the home minister, DAP secretary-general Lim Guan Eng to be finance minister and Amanah president Mohamad Sabu to be defence minister.
PKR president Dr Wan Azizah Wan Ismail had already been named deputy prime minister after Mahathir took his oath of office as prime minister on May 10.
Bernama reported that Mahathir said the appointment of three senior Cabinet ministers yesterday was made without sidelining any party in PH.
He said that apart from the PH Presidential Council, decisions were also made through the “Top Five Leaders” Committee chaired by himself, and comprising the four PH component party presidents.
He said this was because it was difficult for the Presidential Council to meet regularly or immediately to decide on something.
“This is the way we do it when setting up a certain body or when naming the core ministers.
“All five (in the committee) know what’s decided, and it’s their responsibility if they have to report it to their respective parties.
“Otherwise, we will confirm these decisions in the Presidential Council. The Presidential Council is considered the highest council.
