Cabinet reshuffle seen for Malaysia after poll
Cabinet reshuffle seen for Malaysia after poll
KUALA LUMPUR (Reuter): At least three Malaysian cabinet ministers will quit their posts to contest state assembly seats in upcoming general elections, according to candidate lists disclosed by political parties yesterday.
The lists, published by the national news agency Bernama ahead of the official announcement today, point to a post-election cabinet reshuffle, political analysts said.
Agriculture Minister Sanusi Junid is leaving parliament to contest a state assembly seat in Prime Minister Mahathir Mohamad's home state of Kedah. He is tipped to become chief minister there after the elections.
Youth and Sports Minister Abdul Ghani Othman will run for in the southern state of Johor Baru, fueling speculation he will be it's next chief minister, or head of government.
The present chief minister, Muhyiddin Yassin, is expected to join the federal cabinet after he was nominated to contest a parliamentary seat in Johor Baru.
National Unity and Social Development Minister Napsiah Omar will give up her cabinet post and place in parliament to contest a seat in the Negri Sembilan state assembly.
Former Malacca chief minister Rahim Tamby Chik -- a once rising star forced to quit all his posts last year over allegations he had an affair with a schoolgirl -- was nominated for nothing.
He is scheduled to go to trial on corruption charges shortly after the elections.
Balloting is for 192 seats in an expanded parliament and 394 seats in 11 of Malaysia's 13 state assemblies.
The National Front, made up of 14 racially based parties, had 141 seats in the recently dissolved 180-seat parliament.
The main opposition group, the Democratic Action Party had 20 seats, with the rest held by smaller opposition parties.
Mahathir took to the campaign trail yesterday accusing an Islamic fundamentalist party of being arrogant and not following religious teachings.
"We are told not to be haughty and arrogant but these people, who are supposedly guided by Islamic teachings and name their group (Pan-Malaysian Islamic Party), are in fact not following religious teachings," Bernama quoted Mahathir as saying.
The Islamic party, known by its initials in Malay as PAS, governs the northern state of Kelantan, Malaysia's only opposition ruled state. PAS is trying to implement an Islamic administration with harsh Islamic criminal laws.
Mahathir was speaking in a soccer stadium. Although his government has outlawed election rallies, Mahathir has got around the ban by speaking in his capacity as prime minister.
In Kuala Lumpur, the Federal Court yesterday quashed a two- year jail sentence imposed on DAP member of parliament Wee Choo Keong for contempt of court and instead fined him 7,000 ringgit (US$2,800).
The outspoken Wee was found guilty of evading the service of an injunction obtained by MBf Holdings which had sought to restrain him from making allegations of impropriety about the company.
DAP Secretary-General Lim Kit Siang told reporters that since the conviction was for a civil contempt violation it should not prevent Wee from standing for parliament.