By Asia Samachar | Malaysia |
Elder brother Gobind Singh Deo makes a comeback to the Malaysian federal government Cabinet as a full minister while his younger brother Ramkarpal Singh leaves a deputy minister job after a one-year stint.
The sons of legendary politician Karpal Singh seems to going through a revolving door, taking turns to assume a ministerial role.
They were among lawmakers involved in the Cabinet reshuffle by Prime Minister Anwar Ibrahim one year after the 15th general election in 2023, which saw the formation of a unity government led by Anwar’s coalition Pakatan Harapan (PH), supported by a number of other coalitions, including Barisan Nasional (BN).
Gobind will take on the job as the Digital Minister, a portfolio carved out from what was earlier the Ministry of Communications and Digital.
After the 14th general election, Gobind made history as the first Sikh to become a minister of Malaysia’s federal government.
In the following election, he had stayed out of the Cabinet, with his brother Ramkarpal, a lawyer by profession, was appointed as the Deputy Minister of Law and Institutional Reform. They are both from the Democratic Action Party (DAP), a key component of the PH.
The cabinet reshuffle comes amid rumbling of lack of action on the ground one year after Anwar took over the premiership, with the nation continued seeing pressures of rising cost of living.
Two surprise entries into the reshuffled Cabinet is first-time PKR MP Ramanan Ramakhrisnan who was appointed as the Minister of Entrepreneurship Development and Coop and former Employee’s Provident Fund (EPF) and Tenaga Nasional Berhad (TNB) CEO Amir Hamzah Azizan as Finance Minister II.
Ramanan chairs the special task force committee of Malaysian Indian Transformation Unit (Mitra),a special unit addressing the aspect of socio-economic development of Indian community in Malaysia.
Former Finance Deputy Minister Steven Sim took over the Human Resources Ministry from his V Sivakumar. They are both from the DAP.
In August, their brother Jagdeep Singh Deo made history as the first Sikh to be made a Deputy Chief Minister of Penang. After securing a state assembly seat, the 52-year-old state lawmaker was made Deputy Chief Minister II.
RELATED STORY:
Gobind makes history as first Sikh minister in Malaysian Cabinet (Asia Samachar, 18 May 2018)
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Congratulations fall short in capturing the magnitude of the achievement by our Sikh brethren who have ascended to ministerial positions, enhancing the global perception of Sikhs. The influence of Guru Gobind Singh resonates with Sikhs worldwide.
https://asiasamachar.com/2020/05/14/spirit-of-bhai-kanhaiya-lives-on/
Their commitment to duty aligns seamlessly with their devotion to their faith, embodying resilience, innovation, and dedication. A brief congratulatory note may seem inadequate; instead, our collective support as a community should be expressed through heartfelt prayers for his continued success.
May Waheguru empower you YB to wield your authority judiciously, discerning right from wrong, and grant you the courage to advocate unequivocally for justice in the current critical juncture we face in Malaysia.
Your ministerial responsibilities extend to revitalizing the ailing telecommunication and multimedia systems, a task requiring immediate attention. Wish you Success.
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