The Prime Minister Office (PMO) has denied there will be a cabinet reshuffle and dismissed a list being circulated online on this.

The list showed that five ministers would be dropped.

"The PMO today denies there will be a cabinet reshuffle as stated in a list that has been circulated on social media," it said in a Twitter posting this afternoon.

It also reiterated that the current government line-up would remain.

 

KENYATAAN MEDIA Pejabat Perdana Menteri hari ini menafikan terdapatnya rombakan Kabinet seperti yang tertera dalam...

Posted by PMO Malaysia on Tuesday, 12 May 2015

The list, which went viral yesterday, claimed that ministers such as Mohd Nazri Abdul Aziz, Anifah Aman, Jamil Khir Baharom, Idris Jala and Shahidan Kassim would be dropped.

This is amid Prime Minister Najib Abdul Razak coming under siege over 1Malaysia Development Berhad which is struggling to repay its massive RM42 billion debt.

The list also suggested that Ahmad Maslan ( photo ) will be made the Information Minister while Bung Mokthar Radin will head the Housing and Local Government Ministry.

It also claimed that Kuala Selangor MP Irmohizam Ibrahim will be made Youth and Sports Minister as Khairy Jamaluddin will take up the post of Minister in the Prime Minister's Department.

It added that current Tabung Haji chairman Abdul Azeez Abdul Rahim would be made Deputy Minister in the Prime Minister's Department.

Series of speculations over revolt

Prior to the viral list, rumours has been rift of a possible reshuffle after several leaders within Umno began to revolt after Tabung Haji was roped in to purchase land from cash-strapped 1MDB.

The purchase was seen as a bailout of 1MDB, prompting Deputy Prime Minister Muhyiddin to say that he had trouble explaining the matter to the public.

"The rakyat wants to know why no one has been charged, why the 1MDB board has not been sacked, and about the position of the chief executive officer and the prime minister as adviser," he had said last Friday while on a working trip to Milan.

This led to speculation that Tourism Minister Nazri Abdul Aziz ( photo ), who was with Muhyiddin's entourage, was part of a plan to oust Najib.

Nazri had since denied the claim, stressing that he was on a trip sanctioned by the cabinet and Najib was aware of this.

Minister in the Prime Minister's Department Shahidan Kassim's comments that "drastic change" was needed among some government leaders had likewise fuelled speculations.

However, Najib yesterday sought to present a united front, stressing that the Umno leadership was behind him.

He had also said that anyone wanting to drive a wedge between him and his deputy would be disappointed.

 

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