Malaysia’s Prime Minister Mahathir Mohamad yesterday appointed the core members of his Cabinet, nine days after his four-party coalition won a shocking electoral victory. Dr Mahathir’s party, Parti Pribumi Bersatu Malaysia (PPBM), won 13 seats in the poll. Apart from Dr Mahathir, PPBM has three other portfolios: Home Minister Muhyiddin, and two first-time lawmakers, Ms Rina Harun and Mr Maszlee Malik, who will hold the Rural Development and Education portfolios respectively. RSIS senior research fellow Yang Razali Kassim said, “While it will be a big learning curve for Maszlee, he is likely to be strongly supported by Dr Mahathir, who sees it as a critical portfolio and had earlier wanted to handle the job.”