When Rafizi Ramli, Nik Nazmi Nik Ahmad, and Ewon Benedick resigned within months of each other — and with Tengku Zafrul Abdul Aziz set to bow out once his senatorial term ends on December 2 — it’s clear that Datuk Seri Anwar Ibrahim’s Cabinet is heading toward a shake-up.
Although the Prime Minister insists there’s “nothing to see here,” Malaysians know better - with four ministers short, the only route for Anwar to take is organise a cabinet reshuffle, even if he is acting as if he has no such plan in mind.
Officially, Anwar is downplaying the talk. When asked by reporters about speculation that Khairy Jamaluddin might return to the government, he simply smiled and said, “Is that so? Who told you?” .But that lighthearted deflection can’t mask what’s happening behind the scenes: the Madani government is about to enter a new phase — one defined by strategic recalibration and political survival.
A Cabinet Drained and Drifting
With four vacant ministerial seats, even political analysts now concede that a reshuffle is inevitable — likely after the Sabah election on November 29, as Anwar doesn’t want to distract attention from that crucial contest .
The four portfolios currently up for grabs are Economy, Natural Resources and Environmental Sustainability, Entrepreneur Development and Cooperatives, and soon, Investment, Trade and Industry.
Ewon Benedick’s resignation, in particular, exposed how deeply the Sabah federal revenue dispute has shaken the unity government. Ewon quit over what he saw as the Attorney-General’s Chambers’ disregard for Sabah’s 40% constitutional entitlement under the Malaysia Agreement 1963 (MA63). His party, UPKO, has since withdrawn from Pakatan Harapan, accusing federal leaders of sidelining Sabah’s interests.
Analysts believe that Anwar cannot afford to ignore Sabah’s representation when refilling the posts. Political scientist Zaharuddin Sani warned that “ignoring Sabah in a reshuffle would be a symbolic betrayal.”
Names like Datuk Seri Madius Tangau, UPKO’s honorary president, are now being floated as a possible replacement for Ewon — a move that could soothe tensions between Putrajaya and Kota Kinabalu.
Ministers on Borrowed Time
Beyond the vacancies, several current ministers are already on political life support.
I personally think that two ministers in particular, Youth and Sports Minister Hannah Yeoh and Education Minister Fadhlina Sidek might be “reshuffled” in order to save them and us from having to man a portfolio that is clearly overwhelming them.
Hannah Yeoh, is clearly struggling to get a hold of the Youth and Sports Ministry. Her hesitant handling of the FAM naturalised player scandal — which rocked Malaysian football — is just the latest episode that reveals as to how ill fitted she is for the youth and sport ministry. I personally had a a much better opinion of Hannah Yeoh previously, but as the youth and sports minister, I cannot a single good thing to say about her. If I had to find a word to describe her tenure as the sports and youth minister, it will be lethargic, inspired, clueless, disappointing and frustrating. I truly think that Hannah may be more effective elsewhere rather than the one she is in, and to put her elsewhere where she has a the potential and capability to shine, is much better than leave her in a position where she cannot be expected to do herself or any one of us a favour.
Other than Hannah, I also think it is time for someone to pat Education Minister Fadhlina Sidek in the back, tell her that she did her best and ask her to step aside, because she is clearly out of her league when it comes to handling the education ministry.
It is not easy being the education minister today. The world is changing at such a rapid pace that no one really knows even how the immediate future is going to look like. If you ask me, in the immediate future, I foresee an AI revolution that will likely make the world as we know it obsolete. I think that most of the jobs that we are seeing today will be swept aside by the AI revolution.
Other than that, we are also struggling with the modern pace of life and the social media, which is causing the younger generation to become more and more estranged from the previous generation. I think today's Gen Y and Alpha generations are likely the generation that has been least molded by the previous generation, because they grew up being molded by social media more than they did by the society that they are living.
Rising cases of bullying, violence, student suicides and murder, that has shocked the nation, are likely just the tip of the iceberg as to what sort of challenges that the education ministry is expected to handle, to deal with a generation that in increasingly not only not identifying with the previous generation, but suspicious of it, and who are given to believe that the older generation are woefully inadequate to lead them into a future that is going to quite unlike the world that the older generation are familiar with.
Fadhlina’s repeated deer-in-the-headlights responses to these challenges suggest that the she is a minister who is overwhelmed by the enormity of her task. Reassigning her could be a mercy — not only for her and the ministry, but the nation as well.
Who’s Coming In?
According to the Focus Malaysia report, the Natural Resources, Economy, and Entrepreneur Development portfolios are likely to stay within Pakatan Harapan, while the Investment, Trade and Industry post could go to Barisan Nasional, reflecting coalition balance.
Speculation has swirled around several names. Within PKR, likely candidates include:
- Nurul Izzah Anwar, PKR’s deputy president — though analysts like Sivamurugan Pandian believe Anwar will avoid appointing her to dodge accusations of nepotism [CNA];
- Datuk Seri Amirudin Shari, the Selangor MB with proven administrative chops;
- Datuk Seri Aminuddin Harun, Negeri Sembilan’s pragmatic leader; and
- R. Ramanan, currently deputy minister, tipped by both Focus Malaysia and Malaysia Gazette as a likely promotion candidate.
From UMNO, two names dominate:
- Khairy Jamaluddin, the former Health Minister — reportedly tipped to become Natural Resources and Environmental Sustainability Minister, though both Anwar and UMNO insiders remain cautious; and
- Datuk Seri Johari Abdul Ghani, currently Plantation and Commodities Minister, who may move to helm Investment, Trade and Industry.
Free Malaysia Today also reports that the coming reshuffle will likely aim to strengthen Anwar’s economic team, streamline ministries, and even reduce Cabinet size — possibly merging the Economy Ministry under the Finance Ministry.
Political observers say Anwar’s new team will be his “election Cabinet” — the one that carries him into GE16, expected around 2027 or 2028. This means appointments will be as much about optics and coalition balancing as about competence.
The Balancing Act
Political analyst Sivamurugan Pandian described the coming reshuffle as a “delicate political balancing act,” not a crisis. With 18 parties in the unity government, Anwar must juggle coalition quotas, Sabah representation, and public expectations.
Meanwhile, UMNO is already lobbying hard to reclaim Zafrul’s portfolio, insisting that the post belongs to them since Zafrul was originally appointed under UMNO’s quota before switching to PKR.
Adding to the pressure, the senatorships of Saifuddin Nasution, Zambry Abdul Kadir, and Mohd Na’im Mokhtar are also due to expire in December, though all three are expected to be renewed.
As former DAP MP Charles Santiago put it, “People are disappointed with the government. Anwar needs a top-notch team, even if it means bringing in outsiders and technocrats.”
What Comes Next
So far, Anwar insists he’s in no rush — joking that journalists should submit their own “suggested list” of ministers if they’re so curious. But behind the scenes, the machinery is clearly moving.
If the Sabah elections maintain the current status quo, analysts expect only minimal changes. But if the results shake up the balance of power, Anwar may seize the moment for a sweeping reset — bringing in new faces, promoting capable deputies, and sidelining the dead weight.
Either way, the reshuffle will define the final stretch of Anwar’s premiership before Malaysia heads to the polls again.
Whether he uses it to build a competent, reform-driven Cabinet, or simply patch up coalition pressure points, will determine whether the Madani government can regain public trust — or continue drifting toward irrelevance.
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