KUALA LUMPUR: Pakatan Harapan (PH) will have a small Cabinet line-up to start with, with 10 key ministerial positions to be filled, Prime Minister Tun Dr Mahathir Mohamad said yesterday.
The 10 ministries are Finance, Home Affairs, Defence, Education, Rural Development, Economy and International Trade, Public Works, Multimedia, Science and Technology and Foreign Affairs.
Dr Mahathir Mohamad, making the announcement at a press conference held at the Al-Bhukary Foundation here, said Datin Seri Dr Wan Azizah Wan Ismail is the deputy prime minister as decided earlier.
"The leaders of all the parties have been given the mandate and time to do their meetings and which ministries they want to be in and list their candidates.
"There is no such thing as senior or junior parties here, we are all equal.
We discussed things in depth today and decided for the moment, to have a small Cabinet of important ministries," he said, stressing that PH is a united party and wants to make sure all parties represented in the Cabinet.
Dr Mahathir hoped to announce the members of his Cabinet today.
On whether he will hold two ministerial portfolios, he said that will be determined later.
Asked if he will be going to the Prime Minister's Office on Monday, he said that "is a "minor thing, I am fine being here (Al Bukhary Foundation)."
At yesterday's meeting, the Prime Minister said he laid down certain policies that the parties will adhere to as stated in the PH manifesto.
" We have made a promise in our manifesto that, on the first 100 days in power, we will implement 10 major conditions that need to be changed."
On the government's foreign affairs, Mahathir said he will maintain good relations but with no particular country.
However, he said Malaysia is keen to ensure for Malaysia's products to have access to foreign markets.
"There may be big powers that want to sanction us. We are aware of these big powers that want to put sanctions on us and influence our policies. But we want to be neutral (with the other countries)," he said.