Cabinet of Malaysia

The Cabinet of Malaysia (Malay: Jemaah Menteri Malaysia) is the executive branch of the Government of Malaysia. Led by the Prime Minister, the cabinet is a council of ministers who are accountable collectively to the Parliament. According to the Article 43 of the Federal Constitution, members of the Cabinet can only be selected from members of either houses of Parliament. Formally, the Yang di-Pertuan Agong appoints all Ministers on the advice of the Prime Minister.^[1] The constitution is amended by repealing the Clause (8) of Article 43, enabling a person who is a member of State Legislative Assembly to continue to serve even while serving as a minister or deputy minister in the cabinet. Ministers other than the Prime Minister shall hold office during the pleasure of the Yang di-Pertuan Agong, unless the appointment of any Minister shall have been revoked by the Yang di-Pertuan Agong on the advice of the Prime Minister but any Minister may resign from office. In practice, the Yang di-Pertuan Agong is obliged to follow the advice of the Prime Minister on the appointment and dismissal of ministers.

Cabinet appointments

Members of the Cabinet must be members of either house of Parliament. Most ministers are appointed from the lower house, the Dewan Rakyat, although a few are appointed from the upper house, the Dewan Negara. The Prime Minister must be a member of the Dewan Rakyat. Although Deputy Ministers and Parliamentary Secretaries may be appointed to each portfolio, they are not included in the Cabinet. The Cabinet meets weekly, every Wednesday.^[2] After the position of Parliamentary Secretary was removed and partial live telecasts of Parliament proceedings began in 2008, Cabinet meetings were moved to Fridays whenever Parliament sat, so as to allow Ministers to personally answer questions during Question Time in Parliament.^[3]

Cabinet composition

The composition of the Cabinet, and the number of portfolios depends mainly on the wishes of the Prime Minister at the time. However, the post of Finance Minister was considered so important as to be a necessity, and as a result was incorporated by the Minister of Finance (Incorporation) Act 1957 (Act 375).^[4] The position of Deputy Prime Minister is one that exists by convention, and as a result a Prime Minister could theoretically form a Cabinet without a Deputy.^[5]

Deputy ministers exist for each portfolio, although they are not considered members of the Cabinet. The position of Deputy Minister was created by constitutional amendment in 1960. The office of parliamentary secretary for each ministry exists but none were appointed after the 2008 Malaysian general election. Parliamentary secretaries were provided for by an amendment in 1963. Deputy ministers and parliamentary secretaries are also appointed from members of Parliament, and deputise for the ministers in government ministries and in Parliament respectively. An additional office, that of the Political Secretary, exists. Political Secretaries need not be members of Parliament. Before taking office, all members of the Cabinet, Deputy Ministers, Parliamentary Secretaries, and Political Secretaries take an oath of secrecy concerning the proceedings of the Cabinet.^[5]

Functions of cabinet

An outline of the functions of the Cabinet are as follows:^[6]

To formulate national economic policies and development programmes.
- The Cabinet is responsible to formulate various development programs and projects for the development of the country. Examples are the New Economic Policy (NEP), the National Development Policy (NDP), and the National Vision Policy (NVP).
To set the budget and finance of the country.
- The government is allowed to generate revenues from the people through the collection of taxes, fines, summons, custom duties, fees, etc.
- The government is allowed to plan for the various development programs, and also to allocate the resources for these development plans and programs.
As an arena for suggestions, debates, and criticisms.
- The Cabinet is allowed to discuss almost any issues of national interests, except those that touch on the special rights of the Malays, Bumiputeras and/or royal privileges. Article 153 (1): It shall be the responsibility of the Yang di-Pertuan Agong to safeguard the special position of the Malays and Natives of any of the States of Sabah and Sarawak, and the legitimate interests of other communities in accordance with the provisions of this Article.
To propose and amend the law.
- Law is proposed by the Executive and introduce in Parliament with the 1st, 2nd, and 3rd readings for approval.
- Most provisions for the amendments of the constitution requires a 2/3 majority of the total number of members from both of the Houses (Dewan Negara and Dewan Rakyat)
- The bill must be presented to the Yang di-Pertuan Agong for the final assent.

List of cabinets

23 cabinets have taken place in Malaysia since 1957 headed by nine Prime Ministers.

No.	Name of Cabinet	Head of Cabinet	Period of Office	Composition
1	Rahman I	Tunku Abdul Rahman	31 August 1957 – 19 August 1959	13 ministers
2	Rahman II		22 August 1959 – 24 April 1964	16 ministers 6 assistant ministers
3	Rahman III		25 April 1964 – 1969	20 ministers 5 assistant ministers 4 parliamentary secretaries
4	Rahman IV		1969 – 21 December 1970	9 ministers
5	Razak I	Abdul Razak Hussein	22 December 1970 – 24 August 1974	22 ministers 7 deputy ministers 5 parliamentary secretaries
6	Razak II	Abdul Razak Hussein	25 August 1974 – 14 January 1976	20 ministers 16 deputy ministers 9 parliamentary secretaries
7	Hussein I	Hussein Onn	15 January 1976 – 8 July 1978	22 ministers 20 deputy ministers 8 parliamentary secretaries
8	Hussein II	Hussein Onn	9 July 1978 – 15 July 1981	23 ministers 22 deputy ministers 9 parliamentary secretaries
9	Mahathir I	Mahathir Mohamad	16 July 1981 – 21 April 1982	24 ministers 22 deputy ministers 10 parliamentary secretaries
10	Mahathir II		22 April 1982 – 2 August 1986	24 ministers 29 deputy ministers 9 parliamentary secretaries
11	Mahathir III		11 August 1986 – 26 October 1990	24 ministers 31 deputy ministers 10 parliamentary secretaries
12	Mahathir IV		22 October 1990 – 3 May 1995	26 ministers 30 deputy ministers 14 parliamentary secretaries
13	Mahathir V		4 May 1995 – 14 December 1999	30 ministers 27 deputy ministers 14 parliamentary secretaries
14	Mahathir VI		15 December 1999 – 2 November 2003	30 ministers 28 deputy ministers 16 parliamentary secretaries
15	Abdullah I	Abdullah Ahmad Badawi	3 November 2003 – 26 March 2004	31 ministers 29 deputy ministers 16 parliamentary secretaries
16	Abdullah II		27 March 2004 – 18 March 2008	34 ministers 39 deputy ministers 20 parliamentary secretaries
17	Abdullah III		19 March 2008 – 9 April 2009	32 ministers 38 deputy ministers
18	Najib I	Najib Razak	10 April 2009 – 15 May 2013	33 ministers 40 deputy ministers
19	Najib II	Najib Razak	16 May 2013 – 9 May 2018	38 ministers 34 deputy ministers
20	Mahathir VII	Mahathir Mohamad	10 May 2018 – 24 February 2020	28 ministers 27 deputy ministers
21	Muhyiddin	Muhyiddin Yassin	1 March 2020 – 16 August 2021	32 ministers 38 deputy ministers
22	Ismail Sabri	Ismail Sabri Yaakob	27 August 2021 – 24 November 2022	32 ministers 38 deputy ministers
23	Anwar	Anwar Ibrahim	24 November 2022 – present	31 ministers 29 deputy ministers

Current Cabinet

The current cabinet, led by Prime Minister Anwar Ibrahim, succeeds the Ismail Sabri cabinet. Anwar formed his cabinet following the 2022 General Election.

As of 12 December 2023, the makeup of the current Cabinet is as follows:

Minister		Office(s)	Department(s)	Took office
Anwar Ibrahim cabinet
	The Rt Hon. Anwar Ibrahim MP for Tambun	Prime Minister Minister of Finance	Prime Minister's Department Ministry of Finance	24 November 2022
	The Rt Hon. Zahid Hamidi MP for Bagan Datuk	Deputy Prime Minister Minister of Rural and Regional Development	Prime Minister's Department Ministry of Rural and Regional Development	3 December 2022
	The Rt Hon. Fadillah Yusof MP for Petra Jaya	Deputy Prime Minister	Prime Minister's Department	3 December 2022
	The Rt Hon. Fadillah Yusof MP for Petra Jaya	Minister of Energy Transition and Water Transformation	Ministry of Energy Transition and Water Transformation	12 December 2023
	Hon. Anthony Loke MP for Seremban	Minister of Transport	Ministry of Transport	3 December 2022
	Hon. Mohamad Sabu MP for Kota Raja	Minister of Agriculture and Food Security	Ministry of Agriculture and Food Security	3 December 2022
	Hon. Rafizi Ramli MP for Pandan	Minister of Economy	Ministry of Economy	3 December 2022
	Hon. Nga Kor Ming MP for Teluk Intan	Minister of Housing and Local Government	Ministry of Housing and Local Government	3 December 2022
	Hon. Mohamad Hasan MP for Rembau	Minister of Foreign Affairs	Ministry of Foreign Affairs	12 December 2023
	Hon. Alexander Nanta Linggi MP for Kapit	Minister of Works	Ministry of Works	3 December 2022
	Hon. Saifuddin Nasution Ismail Senator	Minister of Home Affairs	Ministry of Home Affairs	3 December 2022
	Hon. Tengku Zafrul Aziz Senator	Minister of Investment, Trade and Industry	Ministry of Investment, Trade and Industry	3 December 2022
	Hon. Khaled Nordin MP for Kota Tinggi	Minister of Defence	Ministry of Defence	12 December 2023
	Hon. Chang Lih Kang MP for Tanjong Malim	Minister of Science, Technology and Innovation	Ministry of Science, Technology and Innovation	3 December 2022
	Hon. Nancy Shukri MP for Santubong	Minister of Women, Family and Community Development	Ministry of Women, Family and Community Development	3 December 2022
	Hon. Azalina Othman Said MP for Pengerang	Minister in the Prime Minister's Department (Law and Institutional Reform)	Prime Minister's Department	3 December 2022
	Hon. Nik Nazmi Nik Ahmad MP for Setiawangsa	Minister of Natural Resources and Environmental Sustainability	Ministry of Natural Resources and Environmental Sustainability	12 December 2023
	Hon. Ewon Benedick MP for Penampang	Minister of Entrepreneur and Cooperatives Development	Ministry of Entrepreneur and Cooperatives Development	3 December 2022
	Hon. Zambry Abdul Kadir Senator	Minister of Higher Education	Ministry of Higher Education	12 December 2023
	Hon. Tiong King Sing MP for Bintulu	Minister of Tourism, Arts and Culture	Ministry of Tourism, Arts and Culture	3 December 2022
	Hon. Fahmi Fadzil MP for Lembah Pantai	Minister of Communications	Ministry of Communications	12 December 2023
	Hon. Fadhlina Sidek MP for Nibong Tebal	Minister of Education	Ministry of Education	3 December 2022
	Hon. Aaron Ago Dagang MP for Kanowit	Minister of National Unity	Ministry of National Unity	3 December 2022
	Hon. Dr. Na'im Mokhtar Senator	Minister in the Prime Minister's Department (Religious Affairs)	Prime Minister's Department	3 December 2022
	Hon. Hannah Yeoh MP for Segambut	Minister of Youth and Sports	Ministry of Youth and Sports	3 December 2022
	Hon. Dr. Zaliha Mustafa MP for Sekijang	Minister in the Prime Minister's Department (Federal Territories)	Prime Minister's Department	12 December 2023
	Hon. Armizan Mohd Ali MP for Papar	Minister of Domestic Trade and Cost of Living	Ministry of Domestic Trade and Cost of Living	12 December 2023
	Hon. Johari Abdul Ghani MP for Titiwangsa	Minister of Plantation and Commodities	Ministry of Plantation and Commodities	12 December 2023
	Hon. Gobind Singh Deo MP for Damansara	Minister of Digital	Ministry of Digital	12 December 2023
	Hon. Dr. Dzulkefly Ahmad MP for Kuala Selangor	Minister of Health	Ministry of Health	12 December 2023
	Hon. Amir Hamzah Azizan Senator	Minister of Finance II	Ministry of Finance	12 December 2023
	Hon. Steven Sim MP for Bukit Mertajam	Minister of Human Resources	Ministry of Human Resources	12 December 2023

Inactive portfolios

Ministry of Agriculture and Food Security

Ministry of Communications

Ministry of Digital

(N/A)

Ministry of Domestic Trade and Costs of Living

Ministry of Economy

Ministry of Energy Transition and Water Transformation

Ministry of Entrepreneur Development and Co-operatives

Ministry of Foreign Affairs

Ministry of External Affairs

Ministry of Finance

(N/A)

Ministry of Home Affairs

Ministry of Human Resources

Ministry of Investment, Trade and Industry

Ministry of Natural Resources and Environmental Sustainability

Ministry of Plantation Industries and Commodities

Ministry of Primary Industries

Ministry of Rural and Regional Development

Ministry of Science and Technology

Ministry of Tourism

Ministry of Local Government Development

Ministry of Women, Family and Community Development

Ministry of Works

Ministry of Youth and Sports

Ministry of Health

Ministry of Health and Social Welfare

Minister in the Prime Minister's Department

Others

References

^ Hj. Mohd Jali, Nazaruddin, Redzuan, Ma'arof, Abu Samah, Asnarulkhadi & Hj. Mohd Rashid, Ismail (2003). Malaysian Studies: Nationhood and Citizenship, p. 73. Pearson Malaysia. ISBN 983-2473-91-8.
^ Funston, John (2001). "Malaysia: Developmental State Challenged". In John Funston (Ed.), Government and Politics in Southeast Asia, pp. 173–175. Singapore: Institute of Southeast Asian Studies.
^ "Cabinet now to meet Fridays for ministers to attend parliament". The Malaysian Insider. 9 April 2008. Archived from the original on 13 April 2008. Retrieved 9 April 2008.
^ Wu, Min Aun & Hickling, R. H. (2003). Hickling's Malaysian Public Law, pp. 84–85. Petaling Jaya: Pearson Malaysia. ISBN 983-74-2518-0.
^ ^a ^b Wu & Hickling, p. 86.
^ Jeong Chun Hai @ Ibrahim, & Nor Fadzlina Nawi. (2012). Principles of Public Administration: Malaysian Perspectives. Kuala Lumpur: Pearson Publishers. ISBN 978-967-349-233-6

External links

Malaysian Cabinet Members

[1] Hj. Mohd Jali, Nazaruddin, Redzuan, Ma'arof, Abu Samah, Asnarulkhadi & Hj. Mohd Rashid, Ismail (2003). Malaysian Studies: Nationhood and Citizenship, p. 73. Pearson Malaysia. ISBN 983-2473-91-8.

[2] Funston, John (2001). "Malaysia: Developmental State Challenged". In John Funston (Ed.), Government and Politics in Southeast Asia, pp. 173–175. Singapore: Institute of Southeast Asian Studies.

[3] "Cabinet now to meet Fridays for ministers to attend parliament". The Malaysian Insider. 9 April 2008. Archived from the original on 13 April 2008. Retrieved 9 April 2008.

[4] Wu, Min Aun & Hickling, R. H. (2003). Hickling's Malaysian Public Law, pp. 84–85. Petaling Jaya: Pearson Malaysia. ISBN 983-74-2518-0.

[hickling_86-5] Wu & Hickling, p. 86.

[6] Jeong Chun Hai @ Ibrahim, & Nor Fadzlina Nawi. (2012). Principles of Public Administration: Malaysian Perspectives. Kuala Lumpur: Pearson Publishers. ISBN 978-967-349-233-6

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