KUALA LUMPUR: A PKR leader today insisted that there is no delay in announcing the cabinet line-up as no timeline had been given for the most awaited announcement.
PKR Information chief Fahmi Fadzil said: "No exact date was given on when the announcement will be made. So there is no delay.
"But the prime minister (Datuk Seri Anwar Ibrahim) will make the announcement quite soon," he said when contacted today.
Asked if the announcement would be made within this week or by next week, Fahmi replied: "We shall wait.
"I am not the prime minister, so I have no control over the timeline," he said in jest.
Speculation is rife that Anwar will be announcing his cabinet line-up soon, following his audience with Yang di-Pertuan Agong Al-Sultan Abdullah Ri'ayatuddin Al-Mustafa Billah Shah on Tuesday.
It was learned that the prime minister's audience with the King was to present the cabinet lineup to form the federal government as soon as possible before the King departs for an official visit abroad on Saturday.
Asked if Anwar had yet to announce his line-up due to the Pakatan Harapan (PH) chairman being torn between public perception and pleasing component parties in his unity government, Fahmi said such was not the case.
"No, I do not think so. This, as every component party had been given sufficient time to have their internal discussions, come to their deliberation before arriving at the final list."
Fahmi added that the process was not done during Tun Dr Mahathir Mohamad's period as the prime minister, as well as during Tan Sri Muhyiddin Yassin's tenure.
"Back then, they didn't go through the parties."
Citing PKR as an example, Fahmi said the party had never proposed for former party leaders Datuk Seri Azmin Ali and Datuk Zuraida Kamaruddin to be part of the then cabinet.
"Yet, at that time that was what happened.
"Similarly in Umno, there were people in the party who were never proposed to be in the cabinet, but Muhyiddin took (them in).
"When the process was problematic, we saw many problems later on. Therefore, this time, we want to make sure the process is right and that each party's decision is upheld.
"Insyaallah, the prime minister will make the announcement soon," he said.
Previously, Anwar had been urged not to include Barisan Nasional (BN) chairman Datuk Seri Ahmad Zahid Hamidi and other MPs with ongoing court cases, including DAP chairman Lim Guan Eng and Muda president Syed Saddiq Syed Abdul Rahman, in his Cabinet.
Anwar, who was sworn in as Malaysia's 10th prime minister on Nov 24, had announced that the unity government he would lead would see a smaller cabinet composition.
The cabinet under the leadership of former prime minister Datuk Seri Ismail Sabri had previously comprised 31 ministers and 38 deputies.
Muhyiddin's cabinet, meanwhile, had consisted of 31 ministers and an equal number of deputy ministers.
