“The same goes for the new appointment of individuals whose backgrounds are questionable,” the Bersatu deputy president said in a statement today.

While he did not mention names, Hamzah’s remarks about questionable backgrounds ostensibly refer to newly appointed deputy religious affairs minister Marhamah Rosli, who has been criticised over the controversy surrounding her establishment of the “Justice for Zara” fund, among others.

Marhamah has denied accusations that she misused the fund, saying it was separate from the other accounts of NGOs she previously chaired, and that it had its own authorised signatories, including Zara Qairina Mahathir’s mother.

She also denied social media allegations linking her to a gold-related scam, saying she was a victim, not an agent, and had always cooperated with the authorities.

“The public has the right to ask: was this Cabinet reshuffle the result of political pressure, or (are these new appointments) political rewards?

“This question is warranted, especially when ministries with great influence over local government are now controlled by a party that had previously loudly championed local council elections,” Hamzah said.

Hamzah’s remarks echo those of PAS secretary-general Takiyuddin Hassan, who claimed the appointment of DAP’s Hannah Yeoh and GRS’s Lo Su Fui to the federal territories’ portfolio was a deliberate strategy to strengthen DAP’s dominance in major urban centres.

The Cabinet reshuffle yesterday also saw DAP deputy chairman Nga Kor Ming retained as the housing and local government minister.

Takiyuddin claimed that concentrating urban power in the hands of leaders from the same ethnicity and political party could allow a single party to shape urban policies and manage land and housing matters.

Hamzah also called for an explanation for the “strategic” reassignment of DAP’s Steven Sim from the human resources ministry to the entrepreneur and cooperatives development ministry, which he said was the core of efforts to help small and medium-sized enterprises, most of which were Bumiputera-run.