A new minister and six new deputy ministers took their oath of office and pledge of loyalty and secrecy before Yang di-Pertuan Agong Tuanku Mizan Zainal Abidin at the Istana Negara today.

They are minister Chor Chee Heung (housing and local government) and deputy ministers senator G Palanivel (Plantation Industries and Commodities); senator Donald Lim (finance); senator Maglin Dennis D'Cruz (information, communication and culture); senator Gan Ping Sieu (youth and sports); Richard Riot Jaem (foreign) and Chua Tee Yong (agriculture and agro-based industry).

All of them signed the pledge of secrecy before Chief Justice Zaki Tun Azmi, witnessed by Chief Secretary to the Government Mohd Sidek Hassan.

Also present at the ceremony were Prime Minister Najib Abdul Razak, Deputy Prime Minister Muhyiddin Yassin and leaders of Barisan Nasional (BN) component parties, including MCA president Dr Chua Soi Lek, MIC president S Samy Vellu.

Gerakan president Koh Tsu Koon, PPP president M Kayveas and SUPP organising secretary Peter Chin Fah Kui.

Chor, 55, an MCA vice-president, was a deputy finance minister. He has been the member of parliament for Alor Setar since 1990 and was chairperson of the Klang Port Authority in 2007.

Gan and Chua, who are also from the MCA, D'Cruz, who is from the PPP, and Richard Riot, who is from the SUPP, are new faces appointed as deputy ministers.

Riot has been the member of parliament for Serian in Sarawak since 1990.

Gan, 44, an MCA vice-president, is a lawyer and former state assemblyperson for Mengkibol in Johor. He had won the Outstanding Young Malaysian Award in 2006 for the Political, Legal and Governmental Affairs category.

Chua, 33, an MCA Central Committee member, is an accountant and member of parliament for Labis in Johor.

D'Cruz, 54, is a PPP senior vice-president.

Donald Lim and Palanivel have been deputy ministers before.

Lim, 55, an MCA vice-president, joined the administration as parliamentary secretary to the Transport Ministry in December 1999. He last held the post of deputy minister of tourism in March 2008. He was the member of parliament for Petaling Jaya Selatan for three terms.

Palanivel, the MIC deputy president, had joined the administration in 1995 as the parliamentary secretary to the National Unity and Social Development Ministry. Four years later, he was appointed deputy rural development minister.

The former member of parliament for Hulu Selangor last held the post of deputy women, family and community development minister, until the general election in 2008.

- Bernama