By Shikin Louis
KUCHING, Dec 2: Gabungan Parti Sarawak (GPS) will continue supporting the Unity government to ensure political stability, says its chief whip, Dato Sri Fadillah Yusof.
He said this in light of media reports on a potential federal cabinet reshuffle this month, as Prime Minister Dato Seri Anwar Ibrahim hinted at in Putrajaya yesterday (Dec 1).
“If you want to accelerate the country’s economy, the investors’ main basis is whether the country has political stability. If it is, they will look at the policies and strategies announced by the government in the context of investment and whether it is business-friendly to the investors.
“This is something we want to pay attention to, and we want to attract foreign investors by ensuring that we have political stability, a strong government and policies that are friendly towards investors and the business community,” he said when met by the press at a function held at SMK Tun Ahmad Zaidi, Jalan Sultan Tengah here today.
Commenting further, Fadillah, who is the Deputy Prime Minister and Minister of Plantation and Commodities, explained that the rumoured Cabinet reshuffle, if indeed taking place, is the prerogative of the prime minister.
“He (Anwar) will evaluate whether the ministers have been performing their duties well and whether the ministry concerned is suitable with the capability of the minister-in-charge.
“If he wants to form a cabinet, he will find the ministers who can cooperate and carry out his or her duties,” he added.
According to a report by the news portal Free Malaysia Today (FMT) yesterday (Dec 1), a Cabinet shake-up is on the cards and will likely involve the appointment of a new health minister to replace the incumbent, Dr Zaliha Mustafa.
FMT also reported that if Zaliha is dropped, she will be replaced by the incumbent Education Minister, Fadhlina Sidek, while Natural Resources, Environment and Climate Change Minister Nik Nazmi Nik Ahmad will take over the education portfolio.
The reshuffle is also expected to see a newcomer holding the post of Domestic Trade and Cost of Living Minister, which was left vacant after the death of Datuk Seri Salahuddin Ayub in July, and the swapping of portfolios among the deputy ministers.
At the same time, Fadillah disclosed that the Malaysia Agreement 1963 (MA63) technical committee’s meeting, which was supposed to take place on Dec 5, 2023, will be postponed until January 2024 due to the members having other commitments.
He hinted that the matters to be discussed in the committee’s next meeting are closely related to Sabah and Sarawak’s autonomy on health and education. — DayakDaily
