Malaysia’s new prime minister Najib Razak unveiled a new-look Cabinet yesterday, retaining his control on the finance portfolio and ejecting figures seen as loyal to his predecessor, while two policemen were sentenced to death for killing a Mongolian woman.
The number of Cabinet ministers was cut to 28 from 32 and several ministries were amalgamated.
In a wide-ranging shake-up, former trade minister Muhyiddin Yassin who was elected deputy of the ruling party UMNO last week, was promoted to the key post of deputy prime minister and also given the education portfolio.
The trade ministry is now helmed by Mustapa Mohamed, a trained economist who served as agriculture minister in the last administration. His deputy is Mukhriz Mahathir, the son of former prime minister Mahathir Mohamad.
The defense portfolio goes to Ahmad Zahid Hamidi, a close ally of Najib and one of the newly appointed vice-presidents of UMNO.
Foreign Minister Rais Yatin was shifted to the newly created ministry of information, communications, arts and culture, and replaced by Anifah Aman, a backbencher from Sabah state on Borneo island.
Several figures seen as loyal to former prime minister Abdullah Ahmad Badawi, who Najib took over from last week, were dropped including Rural Affairs minister Muhammad Muhammad Taib and Home minister Syed Hamid Albar.
There was a snub for Abdullah’s son-in-law Khairy Jamaluddin, who won the influential post of UMNO youth chief last week. Traditionally the youth chief sits in the Cabinet, but he was omitted from Najib’s new line-up.
Meanwhile, two Malaysian policemen were sentenced to death yesterday for the murder of Mongolian woman Altantuya Shaariibuu, in a sensational case the opposition has tried to link with the new prime minister.
Abdul Razak Baginda, a close associate of Najib, had been accused of ordering police to kill his former lover after she came to his family home to harass him for money.
But last year he was acquitted of abetting the 2006 slaying of the 28-year-old model and interpreter — a case which, with its ingredients of sex, politics and violence, has captivated the nation.
Altantuya’s body was blown up with military-grade explosives in a jungle clearing, leaving only shattered bone fragments as evidence.
The two officers found guilty of the murder, Chief Inspector Azilah Hadri and Corporal Sirul Azhar Umar, are from an elite unit that guards the prime minister and deputy prime minister.
“Each of them are blaming the other, they failed to raise reasonable doubt against the prosecution’s case. I convict both of you as charged,” Shah Alam High Court judge Zaki Mohamad Yasin said.
“I sentence both of you to death. You will be taken to a place of execution where you will be hanged by your neck until you are dead,” he said.
Malaysia’s top blogger Raja Petra Kamaruddin has been charged with sedition after repeatedly linked Najib and his wife to the murder on his popular Web site Malaysia Today.
Najib has vehemently denied any involvement in the killing and said he never even met Altantuya, but despite any evidence linking him to the case, the allegations persist and the opposition has called for an official inquiry.
FRAUD ALLEGED: The leader of an opposition alliance made allegations of electoral irregularities and called for a protest in Tirana as European leaders are to meet Albanian Prime Minister Edi Rama’s Socialist Party scored a large victory in parliamentary elections, securing him his fourth term, official results showed late on Tuesday. The Socialist Party won 52.1 percent of the vote on Sunday compared with 34.2 percent for an alliance of opposition parties led by his main rival Sali Berisha, according to results released by the Albanian Central Election Commission. Diaspora votes have yet to be counted, but according to initial results, Rama was also leading there. According to projections, the Socialist Party could have more lawmakers than in 2021 elections. At the time, it won 74 seats in the
EUROPEAN FUTURE? Albanian Prime Minister Edi Rama says only he could secure EU membership, but challenges remain in dealing with corruption and a brain drain Albanian Prime Minister Edi Rama seeks to win an unprecedented fourth term, pledging to finally take the country into the EU and turn it into a hot tourist destination with some help from the Trump family. The artist-turned-politician has been pitching Albania as a trendy coastal destination, which has helped to drive up tourism arrivals to a record 11 million last year. US President Donald Trump’s son-in-law, Jared Kushner, also joined in the rush, pledging to invest US$1.4 billion to turn a largely deserted island into a luxurious getaway. Rama is expected to win another term after yesterday’s vote. The vote would
CANCER: Jose Mujica earned the moniker ‘world’s poorest president’ for giving away much of his salary and living a simple life on his farm, with his wife and dog Tributes poured in on Tuesday from across Latin America following the death of former Uruguayan president Jose “Pepe” Mujica, an ex-guerrilla fighter revered by the left for his humility and progressive politics. He was 89. Mujica, who spent a dozen years behind bars for revolutionary activity, lost his battle against cancer after announcing in January that the disease had spread and he would stop treatment. “With deep sorrow, we announce the passing of our comrade Pepe Mujica. President, activist, guide and leader. We will miss you greatly, old friend,” Uruguayan President Yamandu Orsi wrote on X. “Pepe, eternal,” a cyclist shouted out minutes later,
A Croatian town has come up with a novel solution to solve the issue of working parents when there are no public childcare spaces available: pay grandparents to do it. Samobor, near the capital, Zagreb, has become the first in the country to run a “Grandmother-Grandfather Service,” which pays 360 euros (US$400) a month per child. The scheme allows grandparents to top up their pension, but the authorities also hope it will boost family ties and tackle social isolation as the population ages. “The benefits are multiple,” Samobor Mayor Petra Skrobot told reporters. “Pensions are rather low and for parents it is sometimes
RSS