PPBM chairman Tun Dr Mahathir Mohamad speaks during the Bersatu press conference at Yayasan Selangor in Petaling Jaya November 20, 2019. — Picture by Ahmad Zamzahuri

PETALING JAYA, Nov 20 — Prime Minister Tun Dr Mahathir Mohamad has admitted today that he will consider a Cabinet reshuffle, after several critics suggested that under-performing ministers led to Pakatan Harapan’s loss in Tanjung Piai.

Despite that, he assured the public that there will be no radical changes before Malaysia hosts the Asia Pacific Economic Cooperation (Apec) Summit scheduled in November next year, as such a drastic change will be problematic.

“The thing is, if we have a change midstream, it will be very confusing. It will create a lot of problems,” he said after chairing Parti Pribumi Bersatu Malaysia’s Supreme Council meeting here.

“But of course, if I’m sacked [then] I don’t know. But I think I need to be serious about this. What happens to me is not something important, but what happens to the country is very important.”

Comprising 21 economies including Malaysia, the Apec Summit is a regional economic forum established in 1989 to create greater prosperity for the region by promoting balanced, inclusive, sustainable, innovative and secure growth and by accelerating regional economic integration.

Dr Mahathir said that the Bersatu Supreme Council has discussed the matter at length in the wake of its candidate’s heavy loss in the Tanjung Piai by-election last Saturday.

He said that the meeting concluded that several factors contributed to the losses: The concerns about the high cost of living and economic problems faced by the voters, which he said necessitates a Cabinet reshuffle.

However, the prime minister did not give an exact timeline or the numbers of Cabinet members to be swapped.

“But it is not going to be today or tomorrow but only after we research and looked their performance and ability and only then we will discuss about the reshuffle.

“The constraint is that even though I am the prime minister, I need to give considerations to our component parties,” he said.

Mahathir said the matter will be brought to the Pakatan Harapan Presidential Council meeting later this week.

Calls for Dr Mahathir to step down has also grown within the PH coalition after it suffered a crushing defeat in the Tanjung Piai by-election.