Embattled Tourism Minister Azalina Othman Said will not quit from her cabinet portfolio following her shocking defeat in the Umno supreme council elections.

azalina othman According to the Star , the former Puteri Umno chief said today that she will not tender her resignation similar to what was done by Shahrir Abdul Samad.

Shahrir - the domestic trade and consumers affairs minister - who also lost in his bid for a supreme council seat, immediately said that he will relinquish his post.

The Johor-born politician is expected to tender his resignation at next Wednesday's cabinet meeting.

Apart from the two ministers, three deputy ministers and four menteris besar were also shown the exit from the supreme council polls last Thursday.

Foreign Minister Rais Yatim and Home Minister Syed Hamid Albar also lost in the vice-presidency contest. Rais has said that he will not quit while Syed Hamid has remained mum on the issue.

New faces in the cabinet?

Azalina is currently facing investigation by the Malaysian Anti-Corruption Commission (MACC) for alleged money politics.

One of her senior aides was also detained for questioning and later released. The aide was supposedly caught with RM70,000 on him.

It has been alleged that Azalina or her aides have used her ministry to canvass support for the party polls.

pak lah and najib raising the umno flag agm 2009 260309 02 Three MACC officers had also visited Azalina's ministry on March 11 and took away two documents for investigation.

And on March 20, MACC officers recorded a statement from her and later went to her house in Shah Alam.

Meanwhile, incoming prime minister Najib Abdul Razak is expected to reshuffle the cabinet line-up soon after taking over the reins.

Certain quarters believe that Najib might shrink the size of the inflated cabinet and introduce a number of fresh faces.

khairy jamaluddin interview 230209 16 Observers are also waiting to see if outgoing premier Abdullah Ahmad Badawi's son-in-law Khairy Jamaluddin - who won the Youth chief post - will be given a cabinet post.

While it is customary for the Umno Youth chief to hold a ministerial position, political differences and ground sentiments however might dampen the 33-year-old politician's ambitions.

Former premier Dr Mahathir Mohamad, who has substantial influence over Najib has already warned the incoming PM against appointing 'corrupt' politicians into the cabinet.

Mahathir had expressed his unhappiness with Umno Youth for electing Khairy, who is tainted with vote-buying.

Khairy defeated Mahathir's youngest son, Mukhriz, in the three-cornered contest for Youth chief.