KUALA LUMPUR, Dec 21 - Despite being badgered by some of his staunch supporters, Prime Minister Datuk Seri Abdullah Ahmad Badawi has ruled out reshuffling the Cabinet before he steps down in March.
Several Umno officials told The Malaysian Insider that some pressure has been exerted on Abdullah by his loyalists in the party to drop or demote some of his trenchant critics in the Cabinet or discard several ministers who have not performed well.
Several Umno officials told The Malaysian Insider that some pressure has been exerted on Abdullah by his loyalists in the party to drop or demote some of his trenchant critics in the Cabinet or discard several ministers who have not performed well.
Others have bent his ears with suggestions to drop a couple of ministers who have not been amenable to dishing out contracts and projects as freely as before to Umno politicians.At the same time, politicians who have been "loyal'' to him have lobbied to be promoted to the Cabinet. It is understood that under the original transition plan where Abdullah was going to step down in 2010, he planned to overhaul his Cabinet line-up after the Umno elections.
When it became clear after the Permatang Pauh by-election defeat that he could not stay on for two years, he still mulled over the possibility of reshuffling the Cabinet.
His supporters are believed to have encouraged him to demote Minister of International Trade and Industry Tan Sri Muhyiddin Yassin to a more junior position in the Cabinet, as a final act of displeasure for the latter's very public campaign to force Abdullah's resignation.
They also urged him to reward Umno politicians who stood by him through the years, and were steadfast in support after March 8 when the calls for his resignation reached fever pitch.
Privately, the PM seemed in favour of "freshening up'' the Cabinet anddropping some ministers who in his view had not done well, a couple of politicians who attended dinner with him over the last couple of months said.
But in recent weeks, he has indicated to supporters that as the incoming prime minister Datuk Seri Najib Tun Razak should have full say on any changes to the line-up of ministers.
He also indicated to several government officials that it would be considered petty if he carried out a Cabinet reshuffle just to "punish'' ministers who were not on the same page with him.
This is not to say that he has forgotten Muhyiddin's role in campaigning against him or the role of several ministers in whipping up the groundswell of opinion in the party against him, or aligning himself with Tun Dr Mahathir Mohamad.
Sources told The Malaysian Insider that Abdullah's relationship with Muhyiddin remains cool, despite efforts by the Johor politician to reach out to the PM and patch up a relationship that was once very close.
Still, the frosty ties between the party president and Muhyiddin is unlikely to alter the fact that the latter is the runaway favourite to win the deputy president's position at the party elections in March. -- TMI
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