‘Bila ada pilihan raya suhu naik sekejap’, kata Anwar

Prime Minister Anwar Ibrahim described the 'political heat' in the current Cabinet as temporary, even though tensions linger from statements made by some leaders within the unity government. He explained that political conditions usually become a bit heated during elections, but they cool down afterwards. "When there's an election, the heat rises suddenly.

Then it drops back down. But if the meeting I just attended was normal, I don't see any problems," he said. Asked about the recent meeting of the Jemaah Menteri following a surge in political tensions, Anwar was asked to comment on the proceedings. On Saturday, Deputy Prime Minister Zahid Hamidi reaffirmed his support for Anwar, stating there was no reason for any BN minister to take a seat in the Cabinet.

The BN leader, however, said that a DAP minister should follow the example set by Loke Siew Fook, who took the transport ministry seat. Zahid also referred to DAP Chairman Gobind Singh Deo's proposal to take the deputy prime minister's position if he was not confident in Anwar's leadership. Meanwhile, Anwar said only Loke did not attend the meeting today, but he needed time to review the written notice of reshuffle.

"I haven't received the reshuffle notice yet. They said it has been accepted and he said it has power, but I will definitely take time to investigate," he said. Anwar said both deputy prime ministers and other ministers attended the meeting, which proceeded as usual with discussions focused on development and public welfare.