M'SIA: NEW CABINET LINE-UP GETS MIXED REACTION FROM OPPOSITION

KUALA LUMPUR, April 10 (Bernama) -- Opposition leaders Thursday gave mixed
reactions on the new Cabinet line-up announced by the Prime Minister
Najib Tun Razak.

PAS Information chief Mahfuz Omar applauded the new line-up but
said that the size was still too big even though the number of ministers was
reduced to 28 from 32 previously.

Pan-Malaysian Islamic Party or PAS is an Islamist political party in
Malaysia, and together with the People's Justice Party (Parti KeADILan
Rakyat-PKR), and Democratic Action Party (known as DAP) formed part of a
coalition called People's Alliance (Pakatan Rakyat) following the 2008 election.

"The Education and Higher Education ministries should have been
merged to cut costs," he told Bernama, when contacted here.

Independent Member of Parliament for Pasir Mas, Ibrahim Ali said there
was a good mix of old and new faces and this showed a mature and clean line-up.

"The question now is how far the team will remain as the people's favourite
team? If the new line-up is proactive, progressive and aggressive in helping the
people, there is a chance that the people would give their support back to the
National Front (Barisan Nasional-BN)," he said.

In KOTA BAHARU (capital city of East coast Kelantan state in Peninsular
Malaysia), PAS vice president Husam Musa congratulated Kelantan Umno leaders,
Mustapa Mohamed and Datuk Awang Adek Hussin, on their appointments as minister
and deputy minister respectively.

"The appointment of Mustapa and Datuk (Dr) Awang Adek in the Cabinet
is hoped will help Kelantan and its people," he told reporters at his home.

Husam, who is also a Kelantan state executive council member, however, said
that overall, the new Cabinet line-up was more of cosmetic changes rather than
fundamental ones.

"The changes do not reflect the unity in Umno. For example, there is a
credible leader who was not appointed to a ministerial post and there is one who
was appointed as minister less than a year ago but was transferred to another
portfolio," he added.

-- BERNAMA