Malaysia PM names Ismail Sabri Yaakob new deputy

Bloomberg

Malaysia’s Prime Minister Muhyiddin Yassin has promoted two senior ministers into his cabinet as he seeks
to win over a major coalition partner before the country’s suspended parliament reconvenes later this month.
Muhyiddin appointed Defense Minister Ismail Sabri Yaakob as his deputy, according to a statement from the Prime Minister’s Office, while Foreign Minister Hishamuddin Hussein has been promoted to senior minister and will take over Ismail’s security portfolio. The changes have been presented to the country’s King and are effective immediately.
The appointments come days after Muhyiddin agreed to reconvene the parliament for five days this month to discuss the Covid recovery plan amid growing pressure from the opposition parties and the monarch Sultan Abdullah Sultan Ahmad, who made repeated calls in
June for parliament to reopen before the emergency expires on August 1.
Daily cases have nearly doubled since Muhyiddin imposed a state of emergency in January, sparking criticism over the government’s response. The country counted a little over 7,000 new infections on Wednesday, near the highest in a month.
Analysts say the promotions may be aimed at placating
the United Malays National
Organisation, the largest block in the coalition, after the party last month issued an ultimatum for the government to
lift a months-long suspension on parliament. Both Ismail and Hishamuddin come from UMNO.