Cabinet reshuffle rumour swirls again

PUTRAJAYA: Once again, speculation is rife that Prime Minister Najib Tun Razak will announce his cabinet reshuffle this week.The prime minister, who is expected to drop several big names and form a leaner cabinet, is said to have met the King on the issue this morning.Since he is scheduled to leave for Laos tomorrow, a source said the announcement could be made on Friday.
“Najib will be making many changes and some big names, including from Umno, are expected to be dropped based on the Key Performance Index and other issues,” said a source.“There will also be changes in MCA and MIC,” he added.

On the Umno front, the source said Second Finance Minister Nor Mohamed Yackob is expected to be on the chopping block with “one or two others”.The source also claimed that Najib is considering bringing back Umno secretary-general Tengku Adnan Mansor into the fold.The new line-up will also determine the fate of Umno Youth chief Khairy Jamaluddin, who was left out in the cold last year while Mukhriz Mahathir who lost in his bid to head the Youth wing was given a deputy minister's post.Far from being sore with the prime minister, Khairy, 34, has become one of his more vocal defenders, in an attempt to win over his heart.

“We all know that Khairy is an ambitious person. He always wanted to be the country's youngest prime minister and a cabinet appointment now may help him realise this goal.

“He had a few bumps but Khairy has proven that he can stand on his own even in the absence of his father-in-law (former premier Abdullah Ahmad Badawi),” said the source.Previously, Najib was said to be considering a reshuffle after Barisan Nasional's victory in the Hulu Selangor by-election in late April.
However, the prime minister opted to wait until after the Sibu by-election (which BN lost), hoping to announce his new team hot on the heels of a double victory.

Changes in MCA and MIC

Meanwhile, the source said several changes will also be made to the MCA representation in the cabinet, the most prominent being the dropping of its former president Ong Tee Keat as transport minister.
Current president Dr Chua Soi Lek has repeatedly stressed that he is not interested in a senatorship or cabinet post as he wants to focus on rebuilding the strife-torn party.According to the source, MCA vice-president and Tourism Minister Dr Ng Yen Yen could be made health minister while another slot is vacant following the resignation of former MCA Wanita chief Chew Mei Fun as family and community development deputy minister.As for MIC, the status quo is expected to be maintained, with one addition – deputy president G Palanivel.The source said Palanivel, who was appointed senator recently, could be made deputy transport minister. The post fell vacant following death of Sibu MP Robert Lau.

Source : http://www.freemalaysiatoday.com/