PETALING JAYA: The composition of the main parties in Prime Minister Datuk Seri Ismail Sabri Yaakob’s Cabinet remains very much the same as that during his predecessor’s tenure, except that it has one fewer minister from Parti Pribumi Bersatu Malaysia and one more from Umno.

       The Cabinet is also roughly the same size as Tan Sri Muhyiddin Yassin’s, except that it has done away with the posts of the deputy prime minister and one deputy minister.

       The awarding of ministerships and deputy ministerships to the parties that form the government usually correlate with how big a bloc the party is in the ruling government.

       Umno, which is part of the Barisan Nasional bloc in the Dewan Rakyat, has 42 MPs, Bersatu has 31, while PAS and Gabungan Parti Sarawak (GPS) have 18 each.

       However, Bersatu boasts four more independent MPs who have not joined the party but have aligned themselves to it as “Bersatu-friendly”.

       Throughout the 17 months of the Perikatan Nasional government under Muhyiddin, his Cabinet was largely criticised for being bloated as it ballooned from Pakatan Harapan’s smaller Cabinet under Tun Dr Mahathir Mohamad.

       The biggest Cabinet ever was under Tun Abdullah Ahmad Badawi, who had 45 ministers at one point.

       The new lineup announced yesterday has 10 ministers and nine deputy ministers from Umno, Bersatu has nine ministers and 15 deputies, PAS has three ministers and five deputies, and GPS has four ministers and four deputies.

       Umno has gained one more ministry, as was expected since Ismail Sabri himself is from that party.

       PAS and GPS have been given the same number of ministerships as before: three and four respectively.Both have 18 MPs each and are seen as solid blocs of support fuelling Ismail Sabri’s rise as premier.

       PAS has also now been given the religious ministry portfolio under the Prime Minister’s Office, a major recognition for the Islamist party.

       Under Muhyiddin’s Cabinet, this post was held by Datuk Zulkifli Ahmad, who was not a political party member but a former mufti of the Federal Territory of Kuala Lumpur.

       Former banker Tengku Datuk Seri Zafrul Tengku Abdul Aziz is also retained as Finance Minister.