Malaysian PM Anwar to be finance minister in new Cabinet
KUALA LUMPUR. Malaysia (AP) — New Malaysian Prime Minister Anwar Ibrahim says he will also serve as finance minister as he unveiled a leaner Cabinet with many new faces in his unity government. In a move that appears to contradict his anti-corruption platform, Anwar also named the graft-tainted head of a smaller bloc as one of his two deputies. Malaysia’s Nov. 19 general election produced a hung Parliament with no clear winner. Anwar’s Alliance of Hope later won the backing of its traditional rival, the National Front, and another influential bloc from Borneo island to secure a majority. Malaysia has had three prime ministers in the last four years, and Anwar must work now to ensure his new government is stable.