Malaysia's Prime Minister Abdullah Ahmad Badawi unveiled a streamlined 68-member Cabinet Tuesday, dropping half the ministers in his previous administration and keeping the crucial finance portfolio for himself. "My expectation is that they will perform better than before and I believe ... they are capable and they will be able to fulfill the [government's] agenda," he told reporters. The new Cabinet was formed after the March 8 general elections. Abdullah's ruling National Front coalition could not get a two-thirds majority in Parliament. It now has only 140 lawmakers in the 222-member Parliament. The new Cabinet has 32 full ministers and 36 deputy ministers. Of the full ministers, only 17 were from the previous administration, and only five retained their former portfolios, according to foreign agencies reports. Abdullah also retained four ministerial positions for its coalition partner the Malaysian Chinese Association, and one for the Malaysian Indian Congress.
