KUALA LUMPUR (Dec 16): Prime Minister Datuk Seri Anwar Ibrahim on Tuesday (Dec 16) dropped two ministers from the Cabinet as part of the changes he announced to fill vacancies and realign portfolios.
Datuk Seri Dr Zaliha Mustafa was removed from her position as minister in the Prime Minister’s Department in charge of federal territories. Zaliha had been federal territories minister since December 2023, having served as health minister for a year before Anwar’s first Cabinet reshuffle.
During her tenure, she had faced scrutiny over her handling of redevelopment issues in Kampung Baru.
Datuk Mohd Na’im Mokhtar was also dropped from his role as minister in the Prime Minister’s Department for religious affairs.
Na’im had been widely expected to retain the post after he was recently sworn in for a second term as a senator but was replaced by his deputy Dr Zulkifli Hasan.
Besides Zulkifli, five other deputy ministers were promoted to full ministerial positions.
Akmal Nasrullah Mohd Nasir, previously deputy minister of energy transition and water transformation, was appointed economy minister, a portfolio that had been vacant since May following the resignation of Datuk Seri Rafizi Ramli.
Datuk Seri Arthur Joseph Kurup, formerly deputy minister of agriculture and food security, was appointed as minister of natural resources and environmental sustainability, a post also left vacant since May after the resignation of Nik Nazmi Nik Ahmad.
Datuk Mustapha Sakmud, previously deputy minister of higher education, was appointed minister in the Prime Minister’s Department in charge of Sabah and Sarawak affairs.
Datuk Seri Dr Noraini Ahmad, previously deputy minister of women, family and community development, was appointed minister of plantation and commodities, replacing Datuk Seri Johari Abdul Ghani, who has been moved as the new minister of investment, trade and industry.
Datuk Seri R Ramanan, formerly deputy minister of entrepreneur and cooperatives development, was appointed minister of human resources, replacing Steven Sim.
Sim was moved to helm the Ministry of Entrepreneur and Cooperatives Development, a post left vacant since November after the resignation of United Progressive Kinabalu Organisation (Upko) president Datuk Ewon Benedick.
Several notable figures previously rumoured to be in line for federal ministerial appointments were not named in the announcement.
These included former minister Khairy Jamaluddin, PKR deputy president Nurul Izzah Anwar and Selangor Menteri Besar Datuk Seri Amirudin Shari.
Amirudin had previously been quoted as proposing Nurul Izzah’s name as a candidate for Selangor Menteri Besar, a remark widely interpreted as signalling that he himself could be considered for a federal Cabinet role.