Three more Ministers to complete list
Published on: Tuesday, July 03, 2018
Dr Mahathir said three more ministers would be appointed to bring the number of Cabinet ministers to 29.The three ministers could only be appointed after the individuals had been sworn in as senators, he said, indicating that they might not be politicians but professionals. "We will have (a total of) 29 ministers. We have 26 now, there are three more to go," he said.
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Thirteen ministers, led by Deputy Prime Minister and Women, Family and Community Development Minister Datuk Seri Dr Wan Azizah Wan Ismail had been sworn in last month.Dr Mahathir said he would have a meeting with the ministers and deputy ministers who were sworn in today to explain to them their roles and responsibilities.Asked about the appointment of the new Chief Justice to succeed Tun Md Raus Sharif, the Prime Minister said an announcement would be made after Md Raus completes his service at the end of this month.The government has a candidate but the announcement could not be made right now, he said.
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"He (Md Raus) is on leave now. He will go on optional retirement at the end of this month. Then we can announce his successor," he said.
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Meanwhile, Ignatius Darell Leiking or fondly known as Darell Leiking can not only breathe a sigh of relief after being re-elected as MP but the change of government has given him the opportunity to be appointed as a member of the new Federal Cabinet.Appointed as the International Trade and Industry Minister, Leiking, 47, a lawyer, succeeded in defending the Penampang parliamentary seat on a Parti Warisan Sabah (Warisan) ticket in a four-cornered fight in the 14th General Election (GE14).In GE13, Leiking won the seat on a PKR ticket after defeating Upko president Tan Sri Bernard Giluk Dompok, who won the seat three times in 1986, 1990 and 2008.In 2016, Leiking, quit PKR to join former Umno Vice-President Datuk Seri Mohd Shafie Apdal's new Sabah-based party, Warisan.Datuk Mohammad Din Ketapi, the newly appointed Minister of Tourism and Culture Malaysia, was born in Kampung Segama, Lahad Datu, Sabah.Mohammad Din, 61 holds a law degree (LLB) from the University of Buckingham, England.In 1985 Mohammad Din was appointed Parti Bersatu Sabah (PBS) Youth deputy chief and deputy secretary-general of the Central Committee before contesting and winning the Lahad Datu state seat in 1986 and appointed as assistant minister to the then Sabah deputy chief minister.He never joined any party other than PBS until the formation of Parti Warisan Sabah (Warisan) two years ago where he was made Warisan supreme council member and Silam parliamentary division leader.Speaking to reporters recently, Mohammad Din said that as the first Sabah representative to be appointed as Tourism and Culture Minister, he hoped to take this opportunity to elevate and empower the tourism industry in Sabah."Tourism is one of the industries that contributes to the country's economy and I intend to implement a policy to encourage small medium entrepreneurs to be more active in the industry," he said. He added that with Sabah's natural resources and rich cultural heritage he would further promote the state's cultural and ethnic heritage to attract more foreign tourists to visit Sabah and Malaysia.Datuk Liew Vui Keong or popularly as VK Liew in Sabah made a comeback in the federal Cabinet lineup after being appointed as Minister in the Prime Minister's Department.Liew was called to the Bar at Lincoln's Inn, London after obtaining his Bachelor of Law degree from the University of North London in 1987 and returned to Sabah in 1989 to start his career as a lawyer.His political career began after he was appointed as the Usukan LDP chief in Kota Belud in 1994 and later assumed the post of party assistant secretary-general in 1999.In 2004, Liew, 58, was appointed as LDP secretary-general and was elected the party president in 2006, replacing Tan Sri Chong Kah Kiat.He became a member of Parliament after winning the Sandakan seat under the Barisan Nasional ticket in the 12th general election in 2008 and was appointed deputy minister of International Trade and Industry under the administration of the fifth prime minister Tun Abdullah Ahmad Badawi.He was then appointed as deputy minister in the Prime Minister's Department in 2009, under the administration of the sixth prime minister Datuk Seri Najib Tun Razak.Liew, however failed to defend his Sandakan parliamentary seat in the 13th general election after losing to DAP candidate Stephen Wong Tien Fatt.Stay up-to-date by following Daily Express’s Telegram channel.
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