KUALA LUMPUR, 9 April 2009: Six people were sworn in as senators today to enable them take up appointment as ministers and deputy ministers in the new cabinet announced by Prime Minister Datuk Seri Najib Razak.
They are former Penang chief minister Tan Sri Dr Koh Tsu Koon; Malaysian Armed Forces Religious Corps director Datuk Jamil Khir Baharom; former women, family and community development minister Datuk Seri Shahrizat Abdul Jalil; Lembah Pantai Umno head Datuk Raja Nong Chik Raja Zainal Abidin; former deputy finance minister Datuk Dr Awang Adek Hussin and former parliamentary secretary to the Women, Family and Community Development Ministry Datin Paduka Chew Mei Fun.
They took their oath of office before Dewan Negara President Tan Sri Dr Abdul Hamid Pawanteh in his chambers at 4pm.
Koh, 60, and Jamil Khir, 48, have been appointed ministers in the Prime Minister’s Department. Koh will take charge of Unity and Performance Management while Jamil will handle Islamic Religious Affairs.
Shahrizat, 56, who was dropped from the cabinet after the general election last year, has been reappointed as minister in her former portfolio of women, family and community development.
Raja Nong Chik, 56, a new face in Najib’s cabinet, has been made federal territories minister.
Dr Awang Adek, 54, who lost in the last general election, has been reappointed to his previous portfolio of deputy finance minister.
Chew, 44, former parliamentary secretary to the Women, Family and Community Development Ministry, has been made a deputy minister in the same ministry.
In the previous cabinet, three people were made senators to take up appointment as ministers. Datuk Amirsham Abdul Aziz and Datuk Zaid Ibrahim were appointed as ministers in the Prime Minister’s Department while Tan Sri Muhammad Muhd Taib was made rural and regional development minister.
Zaid resigned as minister about six months after his appointment while Amirsham and Muhammad have been dropped from Najib’s cabinet.
Senators Datuk Dr Mashitah Ibrahim and A Kohilan Pillay, who were deputy ministers in the previous cabinet, have been retained by Najib.
Mashitah has been retained as deputy minister in the Prime Minister’s Department while Kohilan Pillay has been moved from the previous plantation industries and commodities ministry to the foreign ministry. — Bernama
