Prime Minister Datuk Seri Anwar Ibrahim has been thrown into the limelight on questions over whether a cabinet reshuffle is around the corner, to which he has said that he is deliberating.
“It will be soon,” said Deputy Prime Minister Datuk Seri Zahid Hamidi recently on the possibility of the Cabinet undergoing a reshuffle citing one of the reasons for it was to fill the Domestic Trade And Cost Of Living ministerial post following the death of minister Salahuddin Ayub in July.
Amidst a host of speculations, Youth and Sports Minister Hannah Yeoh (pic) and former HR Minister Datuk Seri M Saravanan have been enlisted as the the latest names to take key positions if an impending Cabinet reshuffle happens.
A well-placed political source tol a leading online news daily that Saravanan could be making a return to the Cabinet, while Yeoh could be moved out of youth and sports to another ministry.
Saravanan, who is the MIC deputy president, would be included to shore up government support from the Indian community, after an apparent swing in Indian votes to the opposition in the six state elections in August.
He is tipped to return as human resources minister, a post he held from 2020 to 2022. “He has the experience needed in that particular ministry so it would only make sense (for the government) to place him there,” the source said.
The loss of support among young voters in the state elections would lead to Yeoh, a DAP central executive committee member, being given another portfolio instead of youth and sports, the source said, adding, the state elections showed that young voters are still not supporting the unity government. “The youth and sports ministry plays a crucial role in ensuring that the youths will back the government but it does not seem to be happening.”
Another reason could be Malaysia’s failure to do well at the SEA Games earlier this year. The Malaysian contingent failed to achieve its target of 40 gold medals, winning 34 gold, 45 silver and 97 bronze medals to finish seventh among 11 countries.
Yeoh had stated that the Malaysian contingent’s poor performance was a result of the several changes in government since 2018.
Sources have also said that representatives of MCA and MIC may be made ministers in the Cabinet reshuffle, which is expected to take place after the Pelangai by-election on Oct 7, with a source from the prime minister’s office saying the reshuffle would involve mainly MPs from PKR, the party led by Anwar as he cannot afford to upset his coalition partners in Barisan Nasional and Pakatan Harapan component parties DAP and Amanah.
Among those expected to be dropped is Saraswathy Kandasami of PKR, who is the deputy entrepreneur and cooperatives development minister, the source speculates.
Hannah Yeoh has refuted claims of being moved out of her present administerial role within the ministry based on speculations, saying “What is there to comment when it is based on an unnamed source? It can be any ‘Tom, Dick, and Harry’ talking to the portal. Just ignore.”
BusinessToday attempted to contact Saravanan for comment but he was uncontactable at press time.
