PBM laments being left out of Anwar's govt

Parti Bangsa Malaysia (PBM) president Larry Sng is dismayed after none of the party’s representatives was appointed as deputy ministers in Prime Minister Anwar Ibrahim’s government.

“Words cannot express my disappointment,” he lamented, noting that PBM was among the earliest parties to show support for Anwar’s bid for the premiership.

Nevertheless, Sng (above) stressed that PBM will play its role in strengthening Anwar’s government, saying this is in the national interest and is what Malaysia deserves.

“I will be calling for a meeting with the senior leaders of PBM in the coming days to work out our direction moving forward.

“PBM will still remain as a national party and it is important that we expand our base.

“I do not rule out the possibility of mergers and coalition building with other political parties, similar to what we had planned prior to GE15,” he added in a Facebook post last night soon after Anwar announced his line-up of deputy ministers.

Smaller cabinet

Anwar had made an election promise to halve the size of the cabinet compared to previous administrations, and also cut their salaries.

Last week, Anwar announced 28 ministers including himself to form his cabinet. He then announced 27 deputy ministers yesterday.

By comparison, the preceding Ismail Sabri Yaakob administration comprised 32 ministers and 38 deputy ministers. This does not include other appointments with ministerial ranks, such as Muhyiddin Yassin who served as chairperson of the National Recovery Council.

Anwar claims to have backing from Pakatan Harapan, BN, GPS, GRS, Warisan, PBM, and independent lawmakers. His majority will be formally tested in a vote of confidence slated for Dec 19.

Of that, PBM has one parliamentarian, Sng, who is the MP for Julau.

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