Malaysian PM Muhyiddin unveils Cabinet lineup with 4 senior ministers

PUTRAJAYA: Malaysian Prime Minister Muhyiddin Yassin unveiled his Cabinet on Monday (Mar 9), naming four senior ministers in lieu of a deputy premier. 

Among the four are Mr Azmin Ali, representing a bloc of 11 Members of Parliament who quit Parti Keadilan Rakyat. He will be responsible for international trade and industry issues.

Mr Ismail Sabri Yaakob from the United Malays National Organisation (UMNO) will be the senior minister overseeing defence, while Mr Fadillah Yusof from Gabungan Parti Sarawak will the senior minister in-charge of the works ministry. 
 
Mr Mohd Radzi Md Jidin from Parti Pribumi Bersatu Malaysia (Bersatu) will be senior minister responsible for education. 

READ: Malaysian PM Muhyiddin set to announce Cabinet line-up on Monday

The much-anticipated Cabinet list, announced a week after Mr Muhyiddin was sworn in as prime minister on Mar 1, also has Mr Tengku Zafrul Tengku Abdul Aziz, CEO of CIMB, as finance minister. He will be appointed as a senator.

Mr Hishammuddin Hussein from UMNO has been named Foreign Minister. He was formerly the defence minister under the Najib Razak administration. Mr Hishammuddin is a cousin of Najib. 

Mr Muhyiddin was appointed by the king to the top government post after an intense week of power struggle in Putrajaya, which saw the collapse of the Pakatan Harapan (PH) government. 

He had earlier pulled Bersatu out of the PH and worked with UMNO, which was ousted from federal power in the last general election, and several other parties to form a new alliance.

This is a developing story.