Malaysia PM Anwar makes sweeping Cabinet changes, including new trade and economy ministers

 The premier announced more than 25 changes to his Cabinet after previously saying that a major reshuffle was not on the cards.

Anwar Announces 28 Appointments, Portfolio Changes

Malaysia Prime Minister Anwar Ibrahim shows a list of his Cabinet appointments after announcing a reshuffle on Dec 16, 2025. (Photo: Prime Minister’s Office of Malaysia/Afiq Hambali)

KUALA LUMPUR: Malaysian Prime Minister Anwar Ibrahim announced sweeping changes to his Cabinet on Tuesday (Dec 16), ending weeks of speculation over ministerial vacancies.

Notable changes - among more than 25 announced - include the appointments of United Malays National Organisation (UMNO) stalwart Johari Ghani as the new Investment, Trade and Industry Minister and Parti Keadilan Rakyat’s (PKR) Akmal Nasir as Economy Minister. There are 65 Cabinet posts in total. 

Johari was previously Minister for Plantations and Commodities while Akmal was Deputy Minister of Energy Transition and Water Transformation. 

A composite image of newly-appointed investment, trade and industry minister Johari Ghani (left) and economy minister Akmal Nasir (right). (Photos: Facebook/Johari Abdul Ghani, Facebook/Akmal Nasir)

During the internal PKR polls in May, Akmal was seen as closely aligned to Rafizi Ramli, who resigned as Economy Minister after he was defeated by Anwar’s daughter Nurul Izzah in a contest to be the party’s deputy president. 

UMNO is an ally of Anwar’s Pakatan Harapan (PH) ruling coalition, and the investment, trade and industry portfolio was previously held by Tengku Zafrul Aziz, who was an UMNO member before leaving the party to join the prime minister’s PKR. 

Malaysia Prime Minister Anwar Ibrahim held a meeting with Malaysian king Sultan Ibrahim Sultan Iskandar at Istana Bukit Tunku in Kuala Lumpur on Dec 16, 2025. (Photo: Facebook/Sultan Ibrahim Sultan Iskandar)

Speaking at the start of the press conference before he announced the changes, Anwar said: “There is a need to make some changes so that we have a Cabinet that works as a team, to focus on achieving higher economic growth and solving people's problems.” 

He had met the king Sultan Ibrahim Sultan Iskandar on Tuesday morning, and said in a Facebook post in the afternoon that he would make an announcement on the Cabinet at 3.30pm that day.

Among the changes he announced, Arthur Josep Kurup of the United Sabah People’s Party was appointed Natural Resources and Environmental Sustainability Minister, PKR vice-president R Ramanan was appointed Human Resources Minister while head of UMNO women’s wing Noraini Ahmad was appointed Minister for Plantations and Commodities. 

Democratic Action Party’s (DAP) Hannah Yeoh was reassigned from her Minister for Youth and Sports portfolio to be Minister in the Prime Minister’s Department (Federal Territories), with PKR’s Taufiq Johari taking her place.   

PKR’s Mustapha Mohd Yunus Sakmud was appointed Minister for Sabah and Sarawak while DAP’s Steven Sim was reassigned from his Human Resources portfolio to be Minister for Entrepreneur Development and Cooperatives. 

Senator and Islamic scholar Zulkifli Hasan was appointed Minister for Religious Affairs. 

The changes to Anwar’s Cabinet - including full minister and deputy minister positions - saw some members being reassigned while others were new appointments. 

Full ministers who were dropped completely from the line-up included PKR’s Zaliha Mustafa who was Minister in the Prime Minister’s Department (Federal Territories) and Minister for Religious Affairs Mohd Na’im Mokhtar. 

Na'im's exclusion was a surprise as he was sworn in as a senator for a second term on Dec 3. 

Notably, Malaysia's Education Minister Fadhlina Sidek retained her post despite facing criticism for her perceived lack of action and slow response on serious school issues like bullying, with student deaths triggering public outcry for her to resign. 

Earlier this month, three ministers were also sworn in as senators for a second term. Besides Na'im, they included Home Minister Saifuddin Nasution Ismail and Higher Education Minister Zambry Abdul Kadir. 

A minister in Malaysia must be an elected member of parliament (MP) in the lower house or an appointed senator in the upper house. 

On Dec 1, Anwar had said that a major reshuffle of his Cabinet is not on the cards, noting that his administration will “only function for a year plus” as Malaysia’s next general election is due by February 2028. 

However, there was speculation that changes to his Cabinet were imminent, with Tengku Zafrul stepping down from his Investment, Trade and Industry Minister portfolio earlier this month, creating a fourth ministerial vacancy. 

Tengku Zafrul had served for two terms as a senator since 2020. He held the trade minister post throughout his term in the Senate, which is the maximum period allowed.

Nik Nazmi Nik Ahmad had resigned as the Natural Resources and Environmental Sustainability Minister in May, while Ewon Benedick resigned as the Entrepreneur Development and Cooperatives Minister in November, ahead of the Sabah state elections.

Ewon had resigned over disagreements with the federal government on issues related to Sabah’s 40 per cent entitlement of federal net revenue derived from the state. 

Former trade minister Tengku Zafrul Abdul Aziz on his last day in the Dewan Rakyat. (Photo: Instagram/@tzafrul_aziz)

Meanwhile, like Rafizi, Nik Nazmi had resigned following defeat in party elections within PKR.

Second Finance Minister Amir Hamzah took over the economy portfolio in the interim while Johari Ghani helped to handle natural resources and environment sustainability.

Ewon’s former portfolio was being managed by works minister Alexander Nanta Linggi starting Dec 3, local media reported.

Related:

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 For new ministerial appointments, Datuk Mustafa Sakmud was appointed Minister in the Prime 

For new ministerial appointments, Datuk Mustafa Sakmud was appointed Minister in the Prime Minister's ... Overall, the Cabinet reshuffle ...Read more

Malaysia PM Anwar says no major Cabinet reshuffle on the cards, but still ‘need to fill vacancies’

As Cabinet vacancies in Malaysia pile up, reshuffle seen as unavoi

: Health, Strength­en­ing your core

Your core muscles are essen­tial to sup­port your spine, but many people often for­get to exer­cise them.

     https://www.pressreader.com/malaysia/the-star-malaysia/20251207/282492895014630

By Dr SITARAMARAO NAGESWERARAV

7 Dec 2025

YOUR core is like Wifi – when it’s weak, everything dis­con­nects.

1 Dead bug with heel slide: 1. Lie on your back with both your knees bent at 90° in the air. exhale fully to engage the core, then bring one foot down to touch the floor. — Pho­tos: dr Sit­ara­marao nageswer­arav

A hun­dred sit-ups a day won’t give you a strong core.

That’s because the core isn’t just your abs (abdom­inal muscles) – it’s the net­work of deep muscles around your stom­ach, back and hips that keeps your body bal­anced, sup­por­ted and stable.

Your core is your body’s cent­ral sta­bil­iser, even your spine depends on it for sup­port.

Decreased move­ment or over­do­ing a move­ment, coupled with weight gain and poor nutri­tion, weak­ens the spine and con­nect­ive tis­sues, caus­ing the lat­ter to wear down.

This even­tu­ally leads to chronic lower back pain, disc her­ni­ation and poor pos­ture.

The four lay­ers of the core con­sist of:

> Deep core sta­bil­isers - the 

inner “cor­set” muscles > Super­fi­cial core movers - the vis­ible abs

> Lat­eral and pos­terior core - the core-to-hip con­nect­ors > Func­tional net­work - sup­port­ing sta­bil­isers for every­day move­ment.

A strong core:

> Keeps your pos­ture upright

and con­fid­ent

> Pro­tects your back from injury,

and

> Improves bal­ance and every­day move­ment.

When the core is weak, the spine loses its nat­ural brace.

Spinal seg­ments start to shear and com­press, lead­ing to chronic lower back pain, disc her­ni­ation and poor pos­ture.

Your pos­ture is a mir­ror of your health, so pay atten­tion to it!

Other effects include:

> A roun­ded upper back (kyphosis)

> Pel­vic tilt or exag­ger­ated lumbar curve

> Core inhib­i­tion and glu­teal amne­sia (yes, your butt can “for­get” how to work).

The longer you sit, the more your core muscles dis­en­gage, caus­ing your brain to “for­get” about them.

From the age of 35 onwards, muscle mass begins to decline.

The deep sta­bil­isers, such as the trans­versus abdominis, are often the first to weaken because they’re rarely activ­ated in daily life.

Even reg­u­lar gym-goers tend to train what they can see (e.g. arms, chest and legs), rather than what they can feel (e.g. the deep core).

However, you don’t need fancy machines to train your core. Try this instead:

> Tighten your abdom­inal wall (like bra­cing for a gentle punch) while walk­ing, climb­ing stairs or car­ry­ing gro­cer­ies.

> Sit tall, walk upright and stretch for five minutes every half-an-hour of sit­ting. Small adjust­ments in breath­ing and pos­ture make a big dif­fer­ence.

Two other power­ful core exer­cises you can do at home are:

> Dead bug with heel slide (deep core repat­tern­ing)

This exer­cise tar­gets the trans­verse abdominis, pel­vic sta­bil­isers and deep spinal flex­ors.

It retrains coordin­a­tion between the dia­phragm, core and your pel­vic floor – all cru­cial for pos­ture and spine sup­port. > Half-kneel­ing pal­lof press (rota­tional sta­bil­ity for real life)

This exer­cise tar­gets the obliques, mul­ti­fidus, glu­teus medius and trans­versus abdominis.

It builds anti-rota­tion strength – the body’s defence against twist­ing stress dur­ing daily activ­it­ies.

As uncon­ven­tional as these moves may seem, they’re backed by solid research and proven to improve func­tional strength and pos­ture.

The core doesn’t age – we do. Train it now or pre­pare to make friend­ship brace­lets with your chiro­practor later.

Dr Sit­ara­marao Nageswer­arav is a gen­eral prac­ti­tioner (GP) and cer­ti­fied fit­ness trainer. This is the first of a three-part series, which will be pub­lished fort­nightly. For more inform­a­tion, email star­health@the­star.com.my.

The inform­a­tion provided is for edu­ca­tional and com­mu­nic­a­tion pur­poses only, and should not be con­sidered as med­ical advice. The Star does not give any war­ranty on accur­acy, com­plete­ness, func­tion­al­ity, use­ful­ness or other assur­ances as to the con­tent appear­ing in this art­icle. The Star dis­claims all respons­ib­il­ity for any losses, dam­age to prop­erty or per­sonal injury suffered dir­ectly or indir­ectly from reli­ance on such inform­a­tion.

7 Great Core Strengthening Exercises - Ask Doctor Jo  

896,950 views 22 Mar 2018

Core strengthening exercises are great for improving your core strength. They can help prevent injury, increase core stability, and improve balance. I start with some beginner core exercises & then progresses to harder ones. More core exercises:    • Swiss Ball Core & Back Strengthening Exerc...   Progress through these core strength exercises at your own pace. If this is your first time doing core exercises, you may not be ready for the last ones yet. It's better to do the easy ones first and then see how you feel the next day. The first exercise is a pelvic tilt. This is great to get the core moving, and strengthening the whole pelvic area. The second core exercise is going into a bridge. This not only works your core, but it also works your glutes and hamstrings. If two legs are easy, you can do them with one leg at a time. The third exercise is with a Swiss or therapy ball. A prayer plank on the ball is a great way to activate your core. You can do this modified or a full plank. Next you will do a trunk rotation lying down with your feet on the ball. This is great for your oblique muscles. You can also do the trunk rotation seated on the ball. Using a weight will give you an extra workout, but you don’t have to use one. Now for some harder ones for core strengthening. This one is in tall kneeling, and you will lean back slightly. You can have someone hold onto your feet, or you can place them under something for support. When you are ready, you can do them without any support. This works your core, glutes, hamstrings, and quads. Finally you will do a standing march with elbow tap. You can do this on the same side or opposite sides. Try not do bend your back forward, and use your core to lift your knees. Related Videos: Back Pain Core & Back Strengthening Exercises:    • Back Pain Core & Back Strengthening Exerci...   Exercise Ball Core and Back Strengthening Exercises (Moderate):    • Exercise Ball Core and Back Strengthening ...  

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Plaque in the neck, Cleaning out the carotid artery

 

Cleaning out the carotid artery

A carotid endarterectomy is a surgical procedure to remove plaque from this important artery that supplies the brain, without which, a stroke could occur.

A STROKE occurs when an artery that carries oxygen and nutrients to and within the brain is either blocked by a clot or bursts.

The most common type is an ischaemic stroke, which is caused by a blood clot or fatty deposits (plaques) blocking or narrowing an artery (resulting in stenosis).

Meanwhile, an haemorrhagic stroke occurs when a blood vessel in the brain leaks or ruptures.

Sometimes, there may only be a temporary disruption of blood flow to the brain.

This is known as a transient ischaemic attack (TIA), where symptoms are momentary and resolve on their own in a few minutes, or at most, within 24 hours.

The symptoms – similar to a stroke – include sudden numbness or weakness in the face, arms or legs on one side of the body, trouble speaking, vision problems in one or both eyes, dizziness, and loss of balance resulting in a sudden fall.

Often referred to as mini stroke, a TIA is actually a warning sign of a future stroke, but because the symptoms are brief, people usually just shrug them off.

A shocking discovery

This is what happened to Indonesian businessman Eddy Giantono, 74, who experienced sudden weakness on his left arm, but felt fine subsequently.

He thought nothing of it, but mentioned the incident in passing to his family members.

While Eddy is not a smoker, he has been on medications to manage his high cholesterol, high blood pressure and diabetes for the past 20 years.

In addition, he suffered a heart attack 12 years ago and had to undergo heart bypass surgery.

Due to his medical history and noting that he was getting weaker, his family immediately took him to consult a doctor in Yogyakarta, where they live.

“The doctor said I had suffered a mild stroke (TIA) and there were many blockages in my carotid arteries (blood vessels that extend from each side of the neck to the skull).

“He recommended putting stents in, but since my heart bypass surgery was performed in Penang, I decided to seek a second opinion there as I have more confidence in the Malaysian healthcare system.

“Here I was told both my carotid arteries were blocked by 95% and 75% respectively, and I needed surgery.

“My doctor then referred me to another private hospital in Klang, Selangor,” recalls Eddy in a recent interview.

Removing the plaque

Treatment options to treat a blocked carotid artery depend on the severity of the blockage.

They typically involve a combination of lifestyle changes, medication, and medical procedures or surgery.

A blockage in the right carotid artery primarily affects the left side of the body.

This is because the brain has a “crosswired” structure, meaning the right side of the brain controls the left side of the body and vice versa.

As Eddy was a high-risk patient, he was advised to do a carotid endarterectomy on the right side.

As the block in the left carotid artery had not caused any symptoms, his doctor, consultant vascular and endovascular surgeon Dr Yow Kuan Heng, decided to take a wait-and-see approach.

A carotid endarterectomy involves making an incision in the neck, opening the carotid artery and physically removing the plaque build-up before the artery is stitched closed, often with a patch to widen it.

“Initially, my father wanted to postpone the operation as I was getting married, but the surgeon firmly said no as he was in danger of getting a stroke that could be fatal.

“So although he is a stubborn man, he had no choice but to agree,” says daughter Anatasya Giantono.

The surgery, carried out in August, was successful, and Eddy was already walking the next day, determined to go home as he didn’t want to change Anatasya’s wedding date.

“Even when he was in the intensive care unit, he insisted on being discharged,” she says, laughing.

“He gets homesick easily and doesn’t like being away for long periods.”

A week after he returned home, Eddy proudly walked his firstborn down the aisle. No one could tell he had recently undergone a complicated surgery.

Today, Eddy says he is “sihat sekali” (very well) except for speaking with a

slight lisp, which Dr Yow has said will normalise in time.

The surgical scars at his neck are fading fast and he has resumed his normal routine.

Thanks to early intervention, Eddy was most likely saved from a major stroke in the nick of time.

Get assessed quickly

Atherosclerosis – the thickening or hardening of the arteries caused by a build-up of plaque in the inner lining of an artery – can affect almost any artery in the body, including those in the heart, brain, arms, legs, pelvis and kidneys.

If the build-up is in the neck, it is called carotid artery disease; in the heart, it is coronary artery disease, in the leg, it is peripheral artery disease, etc.

According to Dr Yow, carotid stenosis from narrowing in the neck area is the fastest rising cause of ischaemic stroke in the world, particularly in the Asian region.

“Traditionally, doctors from this region felt that most strokes were happening in the skull, but that pattern has now changed due to the diabetic pandemic.

“The risk of a stroke is greatest when the narrowing in the neck is higher than 50% (classified as critical carotid stenosis).

“If there is a major stroke, you need drugs to break up the clot, but for TIA, you need to see a vascular surgeon as soon as possible to get assessed by scans,” he says.

A TIA is usually an indication of an unstable plaque in an artery supplying the brain, which can rupture at any time and cause a blood clot to form.

This clot can then break off, travel to the brain and block blood flow, leading to a stroke.

“It is important for the public to know that carotid endarterectomy is the firstline treatment for symptomatic carotid stenosis.

“In surgery, you immediately clamp the artery before opening it up, but in stenting, you have to push a guided wire through a hot zone of clot.

“That process, even with protection devices or filters, has a higher rate of stroke than surgery,” explains Dr Yow.

He adds: “In Eddy’s case, after discussions with my multidisciplinary team, we decided to operate only on the side that was symptomatic because he has moderate heart failure.

“Since he had no symptoms on the left side, we didn’t touch it.

“If he develops symptoms in future, then we have to think about surgery.”

He emphasises that physiotherapy must be done as soon as possible after surgery, and on average, patients are discharged from hospital by day three.

A repeat scan of the repaired carotid artery is carried out six weeks after surgery.

So, if you experience a TIA, head to the doctor as soon as possible and request for a carotid artery ultrasound or computed tomography (CT) angiography.

Don’t delay as every minute can make a difference.

By REVATHI MURUGAPPAN starhealth@thestar.com.my

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