2018 historic year for Pakatan Harapan 

By Siti Baaqiah Mamat

KUALA LUMPUR, Dec 28 (Bernama) -- The year 2018 will be etched in Malaysian history with the change in the country’s administration following the victory of Pakatan Harapan (PH) in the 14th general election  (GE14)  and collapse of Barisan Nasional’s (BN) more than 60-year rule.

After the historic win of PH,  a coalition of four parties comprising Bersatu, PKR, DAP and AMANAH,more records were made by Malaysia, beginning with the appointment of Tun Dr Mahathir Mohamad as the 7th Prime Minister at the age of 92.

For that, Dr Mahahthir’s name was entered into the Guinness Book of World Records as the World’s Oldest Prime Minister. His age on the day he was appointed to the post was 92 years and 141 days, thus breaking the previous record held by Morarji Ranchhodji Desai of India, who was 81 years-old when appointed as Prime Minister.

Apart from being the world’s oldest prime minister,  it is also Dr Mahathir’s second stint as Prime Minister of Malaysia after retiring almost 15 years ago. He was the country’s fourth premier, from 1981 to 2003.

Malaysia also made history this year for having a woman Deputy Prime Minister for the first time with the appointment of Datuk Seri Dr Wan Azizah Wan Ismail, the then PKR president. She is also Women, Family and Community Development Minister

Dr Wan Azizah also set another historic event when she became the first woman to ever chair a Malaysian cabinet meeting at Perdana Putra Building in September whe she replaced Dr Mahathir who was in New York for a working visit and to attend the 73rd United Nations General Assembly (UNGA).

The cabinet formed by Dr Mahathir also is also the first in the country for featuring the reality of the racial demography in Malaysia by having leaders of various groups being chosen as federal ministers and holding various important portfolios. 

They included Gobind Singh Deo as Communications and Multimedia Minister, making him the first Sikh to be in the Malaysian cabinet.

According to the website Asia Samachar, the MP for Puchong is also the first Sikh minister in Asia, apart from India.

It also saw the first leader from the Lun Bawang tribe, Baru Bian,  who is Sarawak PKR chairman being appointed a federal minister to helm the Works Ministry.

Meanwhile, MP for Muar, Syed Saddiq Syed Abdul Rahman, created history by being the youngest Malaysian cabinet minister, breaking the record held by former prime minister Datuk Seri Najib Tun Razak who joined the cabinet in 1986 as Youth and Sports Minister, at the age of 33.

The Bersatu Youth chief, who celebrated his 26th birthday last Dec 6, is Youth and Sports Minister.

The new cabinet also saw more women in the list. Besides Dr Wan Azizah, the others are Housing and Local Government Minister Zuraida Kamaruddin; Rural Development Minister Rina Harun; Energy, Science, Technology, Environment and Climate Change Minister Yeo Bee Yin and Primary Industries Minister Teresa Kok.  

-- BERNAMA