PETALING JAYA: Two former prime ministers have different views of the new Cabinet line-up but both agreed that there must be more emphasis on tackling the Covid-19 pandemic and the economy.

       Datuk Seri Najib Razak said while many seemed disappointed with the return of the same ministers, he understood this was not the right time for too many changes.

       “I understand why the PM9 and the Yang di-Pertuan Agong made such decisions.

       “This is to avoid major changes during this critical period,” he said in a Facebook post yesterday.

       Najib noted that Datuk Seri Ismail Sabri Yaakob had warned he would drop non-performing ministers if they failed to meet the performance targets within a 100-day period.

       “InsyaAllah, I will help as much as possible in the effort to revive the country in terms of the Covid-19 pandemic, economy and well-being of the people. Happy working. The countdown to 100 days begins today,” said Najib.

       Meanwhile, Tun Dr Mahathir Mohamad expressed his disappointment over the new Cabinet line-up, calling for more action to be done to address the pandemic.

       He said there were not many changes from the previous Cabinet under Tan Sri Muhyiddin Yassin.

       “The same faces have been reappointed although during the tenure under Muhyiddin, they did not show any effectiveness,” said the Parti Pejuang Tanah Air chairman, adding that there was not enough focus on those affected by the economy and the pandemic.