Malaysian PM Ismail Sabri Yaakob returns Muhyiddin loyalists to key roles, sparking criticism

Ousted premier’s finance, trade and defence ministers returned to old roles, with vaccine point person appointed to health minister

Analysts say the line-up is ‘old wine in a new bottle’, and that Ismail Sabri appears beholden to the parties who backed his leadership

Reading Time:3 minutes

Malaysian Prime Minister Ismail Sabri Yaakob. Photo: Bernama/dpa

Published: 1:52pm, 27 Aug 2021Updated: 8:33pm, 27 Aug 2021

Malaysia’s prime minister Ismail Sabri Yaakob has named a cabinet featuring much-criticised personalities from his ousted predecessor Muhyiddin Yassin’s administration, drawing immediate criticism from observers who said the composition was unlikely to resolve competency issues that sparked off a months-long political crisis.

With the country continuing to endure record daily Covid-19 caseloads and deaths, the most significant change was the appointment of Muhyiddin’s much lauded vaccine point person, Khairy Jamaluddin, as the Health Minister.

The former CIMB Group chief executive Tengku Zafrul Abdul Aziz, tapped from the private sector by Muhyiddin to be finance minister, will retain that position.

Hishammuddin Hussein, a veteran of the new premier’s United Malays National Organisation (Umno), will be the new Defence Minister – a position he held from 2013 to 2018.

Hishammuddin Hussein is once again the defence minister. Photo: Reuters

Also returning to an old job is Saifuddin Abdullah, who will succeed Hishammuddin as foreign minister. Saifuddin was foreign minister from 2018 to 2020 under the Pakatan Harapan government led by elder statesman Mahathir Mohamad.

Select Voice

Choose your listening speed

Get through articles 2x faster

1.25x

250 WPM

Slow

Average

Fast

00:0000:00

1.25x