2œ theSun | TUESDAY APRIL 14 2009

news without borders

See Najib if you’re not happy, BN leaders told

KUALA LUMPUR: Tan Sri Muhy-
iddin Yassin has asked Barisan
Nasional component leaders who
have any complaints about their rep-
resentation in the cabinet line-up to
see Prime Minister Datuk Seri Najib
Abdul Razak.
Such matters, he said, should not
be discussed openly.
The deputy prime minister said
yesterday they should respect the
prerogative of the premier to appoint
ministers, and this was nothing
new.
“We should give the chosen
ministers the chance to shoulder
the responsibility. After all, they had
already taken their oath of office,” he
told reporters after handing over his
duty as international trade and indus-
try minister to the new minister.
Muhyiddin was asked about the
reported dissatisfaction of some MIC
leaders over the size of the party’s
representation in the cabinet and
wanted those appointed (from MIC)
to be withdrawn.
“We don’t want any confusion.
So, it’s not good for the matter to be
discussed openly. In the BN spirit,
we uphold the PM’s prerogative (to
choose the cabinet line-up),” Muhy-
iddin said, adding that the matter
need not be brought up to the BN
supreme council.
Meanwhile, MIC president Datuk
Seri S. Samy Vellu said the party’s
central working committee will meet
on Thursday to discuss this matter.
He denied the party had sought a
senatorship for him to be appointed
to the cabinet as alleged by a news
portal, saying it was “not my style”.
“We will listen to the views of all
the leaders before a decision is made.
I will also seek an appointment with
the prime minister,” he said in a
statement yesterday.
A news report, quoting an un-
named source, said the MIC was
studying a proposal to withdraw its
lone minister and two deputy minis-
ters from the cabinet, in protest over
the lack of importance accorded to
We don’t want any confusion
to arise. So, it’s not good for the
matter to be discussed openly.
In the BN spirit, we uphold the
PM’s prerogative (to choose
the cabinet line-up).”
– Muhyiddin
the Indian community.
The report also said the MIC
had requested for a senior portfolio,
namely the post of works minister,
but it was rejected.
To this, Samy Vellu said it was the
decision of Najib. He said the prime
minister would consider allocating
a senior ministerial portfolio to the
MIC in the future.
On a news portal report which
claimed the MIC wanted to pull out
its representatives in the cabinet
because he (Samy Vellu) was not
appointed a minister, he described
the writer as a liar.
On what transpired between him
and Najib, two days before the prime
minister announced his cabinet line-
up, Samy Vellu said he only submit-
ted the names of MIC secretary-gen-
eral Datuk Dr S. Subramaniam for
the minister’s post, and Datuk S. K.
Devamany and Datuk M. Saravanan
for the posts of deputy ministers. He
denied mentioning a senatorship.
On another matter, Muhyiddin
spoke on the transformation that
must take place in Umno, saying
that he had been informed by the
other component parties that they
are also carrying out transforma-
tion efforts following their general
assemblies.
“I think the transformation has
begun but the momentum cannot be
seen yet. It’s still early as we had our
last general election and formed a
government only about a year ago.”
Muhyiddin said transformation
could not happen within a short
time and he had stated before that
this year and next would be the most
challenging time for Umno and BN.
He said the other BN component
parties, like Umno, needed some
time to become stronger.
“But making the parties stronger
requires good planning and strategis-
ing with public opinions and other
important factors taken into consid-
eration,” he said.
Also present at the handing-over
ceremony were new International
Trade and Industry Minister Datuk
Mustapa Mohamed, his two deputies
Datuk Mukhriz Mahathir and Datuk
Jacob Dungau Sagan, and ministry
secretary-general Tan Sri Abdul
Rahman Mamat.
Muhyiddin later moved into his
new office on the fourth floor of the
Perdana Putra building in Putrajaya.
Arriving just after noon, he was greet-
ed by senior department officers.

Cabinet committees to be trimmed, says Muhyiddin

KUALA LUMPUR: Deputy Prime
Minister Tan Sri Muhyiddin Yassin
said yesterday the number of cabi-
net committees will be trimmed to
smoothen the administration and
ensure that all matters discussed are
implemented.
He said at his meeting with Prime
Minister Datuk Seri Najib Abdul
Razak a few days ago, they agreed
that the committees be grouped in
clusters. For example, economy
would be under one cluster and
social matters under another.
Each week, the ministers would
have to attend up to four cabinet
committee meetings, he told report-
ers after handing over the duties of
international trade and industry min-
ister to Datuk Mustapa Mohamed.
“There are many cabinet commit-
tees and all of them are important.
We also have other matters that we
have to implement for the country.”
He said some of the committees
would be chaired by him and the
rest by Najib.
Earlier, at a special meeting with
the officers and staff of the Interna-
tional Trade and Industry Ministry
(Miti), Muhyiddin said there were
now 30 to 40 cabinet committees.
He said although Miti had only
3,000 staff compared with some
ministries which had more, he was
confident that they were capable of
discharging their duties profession-
ally and well.
Muhyiddin said the government
had drawn up pro-business policies
which required the ministry to work
to ensure that all the initiatives taken
or to be taken continued to develop
in the worst economic downturn in
80 years.
“Miti’s role and responsibility
are challenging and the initiatives
taken by the government and the
prime minister in the RM67 billion
economic stimulus package must be
implemented so that the economy
does not slump that badly.”
Muhyiddin said Miti must take
swift action and be brave and effec-
tive in allaying the concerns of the
private sector, chambers of com-
merce and small- and medium-scale
industries so that this group was not
burdened by the economic recession.
– Bernama

consent on the coordination and standardisation

briefs of Islamic Laws.

Govt to issue statement
on MECD, says DPM
KUALA LUMPUR: The government will issue an of-
ficial statement on the Ministry of Entrepreneur and
Cooperative Development (MECD), which no longer
Brown’s exists following the formation of the new cabinet,
aide Deputy Prime Minister Tan Sri Muhyiddin Yassin said
yesterday. “Let’s wait,” he told reporters.
resigns
over
Prime Minister Datuk Seri Najib Abdul Razak,
when unveiling his cabinet on Thursday, did not
obscene mention MECD in his list of ministries and later
issued a press statement that all agencies under
e-mails MECD were being restructured and absorbed into
pg 11 several ministries.
Following this, several non-governmental
organisations, such as the Malay Solidarity Action
Body and Malay Chambers of Commerce Malaysia,
and Gua Musang MP Tengku Razaleigh Hamzah were
reported to have expressed concern over the fate of
bumiputra entrepreneurs since there is no longer a
ministry that specifically looks after their interests.
Govt to seek meeting with
Rulers to discuss Islamic laws
PUTRAJAYA: Minister in the Prime Minister’s
Department Maj Gen (Rtd) Datuk Jamil Khir Ba-
harom said yesterday a meeting with the Malay
Rulers will be sought next month to obtain their
He said a meeting would also be held with the
Religious Department Heads of all the states.
“The meeting with the Rulers will also discuss
the laws which have been adopted and consented
to by the Conference of Rulers previously.”
Earlier, Jamil Khir chaired the Islamic Consulta-
tive Council Meeting for the first time since he
was appointed to hold the portfolio last week.
At the meeting, five working papers were
tabled, including those on Islamic law, Islamic
economy and education.
Check status of matriculation
application online
KUALA LUMPUR: Sijil Pelajaran Malaysia holders
can check the status of their applications for the
matriculation programme online on April 17.
The Education Ministry, in a statement yesterday,
said this can be done through the ministry’s website
at www.moe.gov.my by entering their identity card
number and examination serial number.
It said they can also retrieve the information by
sending a short messaging service (SMS) by typing
MAT space identity card number to 15888 or by
calling the Matriculation Division at 03-8884 4100
between 8.30am and 4pm on working days.
The registration date of the matriculation is May
11 and offer letters and information on the registra-
tion fees will be sent to successful applicants by the
colleges concerned.
Candidates who failed to gain admission can ap-
peal online. – Bernama