theSun | TUESDAY APRIL 7 2009 7

news without borders

10 Umno ministers
may be jettisoned
AS many as 10 Umno cabinet minis-
ters may be left out of Prime Minister
Datuk Seri Najib Abdul Razak’s new
line-up, Sin Chew Daily reported
yesterday.
Apart from Domestic Trade and
Consumer Affairs Minister Datuk
Shahrir Abdul Samad, who has al-
ready tendered his resignation, others
likely to be dropped are Second Fi-
nance Minister Datuk Nor Mohamed
Yakcop, Home Minister Datuk Seri
Syed Hamid Albar, Tourism Minis-
ter Datuk Azalina Othman, Energy,
Water and Communications Min-
ister Datuk Shaziman Abu Mansor,
Federal Territories Minister Datuk
Seri Zulhasnan Rafique, Rural and
Regional Development Minister Tan
Sri Muhammad Muhd Taib, Foreign
Minister Datuk Seri Dr Rais Yatim,
Higher Education Minister Datuk
Seri Mohamed Khalid Nordin and
Information Minister Datuk Ahmad
Shabbery Chik.
As for MCA, the report said Hous-
ing and Local Government Minister
Datuk Seri Ong Ka Chuan will not
make it to the new team, nor will
MCA No 2 Datuk Seri Dr Chua Soi
Lek, who beat Ong in the party elec-
tions last year.
Najib is expected to announce his
cabinet line-up tomorrow or the day
after and a source said there may be
surprises, including the setting up of a
ministry on Chinese affairs.
The source also said MIC president
Datuk Seri S. Samy Vellu will stay out
but Gerakan chief Tan Sri Dr Koh Tsu
Koon may be included in the new
line-up.
“Former science, technology
Press Digest
by Kong See Hoh
newsdesk@thesundaily.com
and innovation minister Datuk Seri
Jamaluddin Jarjis and former tour-
ism minister Tengku Adnan Mansor
may be recalled. Jamaluddin is likely
to be given the tourism portfolio and
Tengku Adnan the federal territories
post,” the source was quoted as say-
ing.
The report also said that if Datuk
Seri Hishammuddin Hussein is not
re-appointed the education minister,
he will most likely be moved to the Japan PM
International Trade and Industry
Ministry.
orders
Minister in the Prime Minister’s US$100b
Department Datuk Seri Nazri Abdul economic
Aziz is tipped to replace Rais as for-
eign minister.
stimulus
There is a high chance that Unity, pg 13
Culture, Arts and Heritage Minister
Datuk Seri Shafie Apdal, who won
one of the three vice-president’s posts
in the recent Umno elections, may be
moved to the Defence Ministry.
The source said newly-elected
Umno Youth chief Khairy Jamaluddin
may be made a deputy minister.
Meanwhile, Oriental Daily News
said Najib will announce a very
much leaner cabinet under which
Umno and MCA are expected to get
six and one fewer minister’s posts
respectively.
However, Gerakan is expected to
be given a minister’s post which is
likely to be filled by the party presi-
dent.

Ministers do not agree to creation

of Chinese deputy PM position
TWO Umno ministers have
poured cold water on MCA
deputy secretary-general,
Datuk Loke Yuen Yow’s call
to Prime Minister Datuk Seri
Najib Abdul Razak to create
a post for a Chinese deputy
prime minister and a Chinese
Barisan Naional (BN) deputy
chairman, the Chinese press
reported yesterday.
Umno vice-president and
Education Minister Datuk
Seri Hishammuddin Hussein
stressed that the coalition has
never intended to create a
second prime minister’s post
or a deputy BN president’s
post for MCA, reports China
Press.
Foreign Minister Datuk Seri
Dr Rais Yatim, who lost the
contest for a vice-president’s
post in the Umno elections,
described as untimely for MCA
to make such requests when
the party is so weak.
According to China Press,
which was quoting a report in
Berita Harian, Hishammuddin
said he has never heard any
MCA leader requesting for the
two posts in either the Barisan
Nasional Supreme Council or
the cabinet meetings.
“I have never heard MCA
leaders making such requests.
It has not happened before.”
Rais said the constitution
does not stipulate that there
should be a second deputy
prime minister, adding that Na-
jib surely has more important
agenda than meeting MCA’s
request for the post.
He said what MCA must do
now is to help ensure that BN
win the coming by-elections.
He said the top leadership
of the BN government should
come from Umno, which is the
backbone of both the BN and
the federal government.
Meanwhile, MCA president
Datuk Seri Ong Tee Keat has
denied he has ever said that
he could become Najib’s
deputy.
He said the press has
misquoted him on what he
said when he addressed the
Chinese community in Sungai
Petani recently.

period, 1,278 cases of domestic violence involved

women. – Bernama

briefs By-elections cost RM1.5m

Husband-bashing by wives
FIFTY men were victims of domestic violence
between 2005 and 2007, said Deputy Women,
Family and Community Development Minister
Datuk Noriah Kasnon.
“A lack of tolerance between husband and
wife, no understanding, stress and hot-tempered
wives were among the reasons for such violence,”
she said.
Replying to questions raised by Heng Seai Kie
at the Dewan Negara, she said during the same
THE Election Commission (EC) has to date
spent RM1.5 million for today’s three by-elec-
tions, says Minister in the Prime Minister’s
Department Datuk Seri Mohamed Nazri Abdul
Aziz. The cost does not include the amount
spent on security.
In his reply to Datuk Abdul Rahman Bakar
at the Dewan Negara, Nazri said the EC spent
RM700,000 for Bukit Gantang, RM400,000 for
Bukit Selambau and RM400,000 for Batang Ai.
Replying a supplementary question from
Mumtaz Md Nawi, Nazri said: “Automatically
registering voters may look like coercion to
the voters.”