KUALA LUMPUR, Nov 19 ― The Cabinet size now lets the government ensure that each portfolio receives the proper attention and allows ministers to execute their duties with higher efficiency, Datuk Seri Azalina Othman told Parliament today.
In a written reply to Pokok Sena MP Datuk Mahfuz Omar, the minister in the Prime Minister’s Department also said that each individual minister plays a role in developing the nation.
“Might I remind you here that for each elected minister, there's a portfolio along with a set of tasks that has been specialised,” Azalina said.
“Through the specialisation, elected ministers are able to carry out their responsibilities in a more focused and efficient manner.”
Mahfuz had asked why Putrajaya retained a Cabinet that was larger than countries with populations greater than Malaysia’s.
At 35 ministers, Prime Minister Datuk Seri Najib Razak's Cabinet is now bigger than that of his predecessor Tun Abdullah Ahmad Badawi, which had 32 members.
When Najib first took office in 2009, he had named just 28 ministers.
