Malaysia's new leader keeps largely same Cabinet, no deputy

The new Malaysian prime minister has retained mostly familiar faces in his Cabinet

KUALA LUMPUR, Malaysia -- Malaysia's new Prime Minister Ismail Sabri Yaakob retained mostly familiar faces in his Cabinet unveiled Friday, but vowed his government will be more open as it seeks to curb a worsening pandemic. The Cabinet lineup mirrors that of his predecessor, Muhyiddin Yassin, who resigned Aug. 16 after less than 18 months in office as infighting in his coalition cost him majority support. Ismail did not name a deputy but kept the four senior ministerial posts, which had been created by Muhyiddin to keep factions in his Malay-majority government happy. Banker Zafrul Abdul Aziz held on to the powerful finance portfolio while some former ministers swapped portfolios. Opposition lawmakers immediately voiced disappointment with what they called a recycling of the former government, which failed to curb the pandemic despite a seven-month state of emergency and a lockdown since June.