Faced with an internal party election in June, Prime Minister Abdullah Ahmad Badawi has filled his new cabinet with loyalists to strengthen his position after his recent landslide election victory.

Abdullah's ruling Umno, the dominant party in the Barisan Nasional coalition, has in the past witnessed severe factional infighting.

"Some 40 percent of the Umno ministers in the new cabinet are Abdullah's men. Abdullah needs them to strengthen and consolidate his position in the party," Shamsul Amir Baharuddin, political scientist at the National University of Malaysia, told AFP .

On Saturday, Abdullah announced his new line-up following his crushing victory in the March 21 polls, but there were hardly any surprises, with some controversial senior ministers of the old guard being retained besides bringing in new and young blood.

There are 34 ministers in the new line-up, up from 29, and Abdullah said 14 of the ministers were new faces.

The prime minister had hinted that he could make major changes to the cabinet he inherited from former premier Mahathir Mohamad after BN won 90 percent of parliamentary seats last Sunday.

Trusted aides

Shamsul said Abdullah needed the support of the cabinet to push forward his agenda for a clean and efficient government and the only way was to have loyalists by his side.

"I do not expect anyone to challenge him in the party election but he needs them to press ahead with his reforms," he said.

Among Abdullah's most trusted aides are: Azmi Khalid, who holds the home affairs portfolio; Muhyiddin Yassin, agriculture and agro-based industries; Azalina Othman Said, youth and sports ministry; Mustapa Mohamed, Radzi Sheikh Ahmad and Abdullah Mohamad Zin - who are ministers in the prime minister's department and Hishammuddin Hussein, education minister, an Umno official said.

Shamsul said to avoid any infighting in the party, he retained Rafidah Aziz as international trade and industry minister; Shahrizat Abdul Jalil, women, families and social development minister; and brought in a former close aide of Mahathir, Aziz Shamsuddin, as rural and regional development minister.

Asked if the new cabinet was clean, Abdullah said: "Yes. There's no case for them not to be appointed," adding that "being a minister doesn't give them immunity from the due process of the law."

Failed big test

But opposition leader Lim Kit Siang of the Chinese-based Democratic Action Party criticised his appointment of certain ministers, saying "Abdullah has failed his big test in his pledge of a clean, incorruptible and trustworthy government.

"If integrity is among the indispensable criteria for the selection of cabinet ministers, then the first Abdullah's cabinet has failed the acid test."

Abdullah during his visit yesterday to Terengganu state brushed aside critics of his new cabinet.

"I have to run the government, I will run it my way and I want to make sure that the people are going to benefit on what we do," he was quoted as saying by Bernama news agency.

Lim said Abdullah should not have reappointed any cabinet minister who had been tainted by serious allegations of corruption such as Rafidah, Samy Vellu (works minister), Ong Ka Ting (housing and local government minister) and Mohamed Nazri Abdul Aziz, minister in the prime minister's department.

Abdullah retained the finance ministry and the ministry of internal security, in charge of the police.

Lim said it was a suprise Abdullah kept the two powerful posts.

"It must now raise eyebrows about the lack of qualified or dependable leaders to take one such portfolio off his responsibility." - AFP