M'SIAN PM ABDULLAH DOES NOT RULE OUT CABINET RESHUFFLE

ASHGABAT (Turkmenistan), Nov 20 (Bernama) -- Prime Minister Abdullah Ahmad Badawi Wednesday did not rule out the possibility of a cabinet reshuffle soon should an MCA minister vacate his seat.

However, he said, the minor cabinet reshuffle did not necessarily mean
filling that vacancy alone but could also involve change of portfolios and some
adjustments to the present portfolios.

"The possibility of a cabinet reshuffle is always there," he told Malaysian
journalists, here.

Abdullah is on a two-day official visit to this country starting
Wednesday.

The prime minister was asked to comment on a Bernama news report that
Housing and Local Government Minister Ong Ka Chuan had tendered his
resignation from the post to MCA president Ong Tee Keat, and whether
this would lead to a cabinet reshuffle.


Abdullah said he would monitor MCA's next move before deciding on the
matter.

Ka Chuan lost in last month's MCA elections for the deputy president post
to former health minister Dr Chua Soi Lek.

Abdullah, who is on a six-day Central Asian tour which ends Thursday, said
so far he had not received a resignation letter from Ka Chuan.

However, Abdullah said he would respect Ka Chuan's decision to resign
should he have valid reasons to do so.

"Probably he made the move in order to make it easy for Ong Tee Keat to
make a proposal (on MCA ministers)," he said.

Malaysian Chinese Association (MCA) is a uni-racial political party in
Malaysia that represents the Malaysian Chinese ethnic, is one of the three major
component parties of the ruling coalition in Malaysia called the Barisan
Nasional (BN) in Malay, or National Front.