TOKYO, May 28 — Prime Minister Datuk Seri Ismail Sabri Yaakob said Datuk Zuraida Kamaruddin was still the Plantation Industries and Commodities Minister and she would carry out her duties as usual until he made a decision on the matter.
Ismail Sabri said Zuraida can still attend the Cabinet meeting and her position would be decided after they met later.
“I did not sack her, she is still a Cabinet minister until the (Cabinet) meeting (is held) this Wednesday,” he told Malaysian journalists in Tokyo on Saturday at the end of his official working visit to Japan.
Zuraida, previously of Parti Pribumi Bersatu Malaysia, announced on Thursday that she was joining Parti Bangsa Malaysia (PBM) and was expected to meet the prime minister to discuss her resignation as the plantation industries and commodities minister.
Zuraida was also reported to have said that she would continue to support the present government led by Ismail Sabri.
Ismail Sabri said he only found out about the matter through media coverage and Zuraida had not contacted him until now.
“She (Zuraida) said she would meet me and talk to me. So wait for me to return (to Malaysia), discuss the matter, then we will decide,” he said.
Ismail Sabri said he respected the views on the matter but the final decision on Zuraida’s position still rested in the hands of the prime minister.
Asked whether he would accept Zuraida’s resignation after they met later, Ismail Sabri said: “Let’s not talk about the what ifs…we’ll cross the bridge when we get there. So until I make a decision either to drop her or appoint someone else, zuraida will continue her duties as usual.”
Ismail Sabri also said that any changes in the Cabinet line-up should be presented to the Yang di-Pertuan Agong.
“If there is a new appointment, it is not an easy thing. I must respect the (Yang di-Pertuan) Agong,” he said.
On whether his Cabinet was still intact, Ismail Sabri said: “There is no issue at all.”
According to him, ‘outsiders’ might think that today’s Cabinet is ‘chaotic’ because it is made up of representatives of various parties but the current Cabinet members will leave all their political differences when making decisions in the interest of the country.
“When we are in the Cabinet, we set aside our differences. For example during (the state elections) in Johor and Melaka, we did not bring the matter in the Cabinet. Our focus in the Cabinet is (to safeguard) the interest of the country and the people regardless of which party, we make decisions together,” he said.
