Wan Azizah: If Dr M steps down, then there will be a Cabinet vacancy

(The Star) – A vacancy in the Cabinet may only happen when Tun Dr Mahathir Mohamad steps down as Prime Minister, says Datuk Seri Dr Wan Azizah Wan Ismail.

The Deputy Prime Minister said there is no issue about no current vacancy in the Cabinet.

“There is no vacancy, so?

“I guess (there will only be a vacancy in Cabinet) when the Prime Minister vacates the seat as promised,” Dr Wan Azizah said to reporters after a visit to CyberSecurity Malaysia on Friday (Aug 30).

On Thursday (Aug 29), the Prime Minister was asked if the time was right to bring in PKR president Datuk Seri Anwar Ibrahim to join his Cabinet team.

Dr Mahathir responded that there is no vacancy in the Cabinet for now, and there is no intention to increase the number of ministers.

“At the moment, no minister wants to resign. If someone resigns and there is a vacancy, then we will fill it,” the Prime Minister was quoted as saying.

Dr Mahathir had on numerous occasions gave assurance that he would hand over the reins to Anwar as promised, but there is no time frame as to when this will take place.

The Prime Minister had also recently brushed off speculation of a Cabinet reshuffle, but acknowledged a possible change in portfolios.

On her visit, Dr Wan Azizah said she was impressed with the level of preparedness of the agency to handle cybersecurity issues and crises.

The Deputy Prime Minister was also taken for a tour of the digital forensic laboratory, which is responsible in developing and conducting research on forensic digital science.

“The agency plays an important role in ensuring cyber security in Malaysia.

“With the world now being borderless, it is important that our people have strong awareness about cyber attacks,” she said.