KUALA LUMPUR, Dec 12 — The new Minister of Finance II, Datuk Seri Amir Hamzah Azizan, is set to draw on his vast corporate experience to develop Malaysia’s economy and regain its position as a leading economic force within the region.
Amir said he will fully utilise his experience, particularly as the chief executive officer of the Employees Provident Fund (EPF) since March 2021, in efforts to empower the administration of the Ministry of Finance (MoF).
His main focus would be to assist Prime Minister Datuk Seri Anwar Ibrahim in redeveloping the economy under the MADANI framework.
“I am confident that with solid support from all the ministry’s officers and related agencies, we can strengthen the economy and rise. It is also critical for my team and me to understand the transformation needed to achieve the targets to be set,” he said after the swearing-in of new ministers at Istana Negara today.
This morning Amir took his oath as a senator before Dewan Negara president Tan Sri Dr Wan Junaidi Tuanku Jaafar, and later he was one of the five new ministers sworn in before Yang di-Pertuan Agong Al-Sultan Abdullah Ri’ayatuddin Al-Mustafa Billah Shah.
The other four ministers in the reshuffled Unity Government Cabinet are Datuk Seri Dr Dzulkefly Ahmad, who has returned as Minister of Health; Damansara Member of Parliament (MP) Gobind Singh Deo (Minister of Digital); Bukit Mertajam MP Sim Chee Keong (Minister of Human Resources); and Titiwangsa MP Datuk Seri Johari Abdul Ghani (Minister of Plantation and Commodities).
Sim said he will work hard to ensure the welfare of workers is safeguarded, in addition to enhancing productivity, job opportunities, talents and skills to support Malaysia’s economic growth.
“I will use my experience as Deputy Minister of Finance where we had several policy and fiscal management frameworks to develop the economy through the MADANI framework. I will incorporate those aspects in my tasks under this new ministry,” he said.
Plantation and Commodities Minister Datuk Seri Johari Abdul Ghani said he needed to think outside the box to lead the ministry, adding that it is a rather challenging portfolio because it is an important component of the country’s economy.
“For example, in the context of agriculture in our country, it forms 8.9 per cent of our GDP (Gross Domestic Product), while plantation and commodities account for more than 50 per cent of agriculture’s contribution.
“There are a lot of things that I will share with the ministry. This ministry deals with large-scale agriculture, which poses numerous challenges,” he said.
Datuk Seri Dr Dzulkefly Ahmad, who returned as the Minister of Health, said he will focus on completing the health transformation programme he implemented in the previous administration, which includes digital health transformation and health financing.
“I will address acute care; issues and grievances related to hospitals; patient wait time, and the welfare of medical personnel from contract staff to pharmacy officers. I will also look into preventive and promotive care related to non-communicable diseases (NCD), ” he said.
