Prime Minister Datuk Seri Anwar Ibrahim’s Cabinet announcement was met with shock by some of the appointments that were made.
Apart from some of the MPs who were selected to become Ministers, Malaysians were also surprised to find out that some ministries appeared to be omitted entirely.
One major Ministry which was present in the previous government but not in the current one is the Ministry of Arts and Culture.
Although it if often grouped in together with the Ministry of Tourism, in Anwar’s Cabinet, the ministry was renamed to just Ministry of Tourism with the removal of arts and culture portfolios from its name.
This prompted outrage by netizens who called out the government for their perceived lack of interest or care for the local arts and culture industry.
“Imagine being in a country rich in culture and ethnicity, failing to enhance the potential we own. Art and culture should not be something we neglect,” commented another user.
Another said, “Which Ministry will take on the portfolio of art and culture?”
“It’s impossible to have a public arts policy when we don’t even have an arts Minister.”
It is presumed that the portfolio will remain under the purview of the Tourism Ministry, however, we wonder why the name was omitted from it.
Also read: BREAKING: Here’s The New List of Cabinet Members Under PM Anwar Ibrahim’s Unity Govt