KUALA LUMPUR: Rumours that Cabinet will be reshuffled after the Chinese New Year holiday is ‘fake news’, Prime Minister Tun Dr Mahathir Mohamad said today.
He stressed that no such event will take place and that he wishes to maintain the current Cabinet.
“Any news (about a) Cabinet reshuffle is fake,” he said when met by reporters at a Chinese New Year open house programme at the Wisma Chinese Chamber at Jalan Ampang here, today.
Also present were Deputy Prime Minister Datuk Seri Dr Wan Azizah Wan Ismail, her husband and Port Dickson MP Datuk Seri Anwar Ibrahim, Home Minister Tan Sri Muhyiddin Yassin, Federal Territories Minister Khalid Samad, other Cabinet ministers, as well as Dr Mahathir’s wife Tun Dr Siti Hasmah Mohamad Ali.
It was reported yesterday that Dr Wan Azizah denied any knowledge of an ‘imminent’ Cabinet reshuffle, which would purportedly see Economic Affairs Minister Datuk Seri Azmin Ali assume the role of Deputy Prime Minister.
On Monday, the blog anotherbrickinwall.blogspot.com had claimed in an article titled ‘Azmin appointed DPM after CNY?’ that rumours are circulating that Dr Mahathir will appoint Azmin as his deputy.
The speculative piece was based on claims by close associates of the author that the reshuffle would occur after the Chinese New Year.- Report by Mohd Noor Aswad, Hidir Reduan Abdul Rashid and Esther Landau.
