KUALA LUMPUR – Datuk Akmal Nasrullah Mohd Nasir emerged today as one of the biggest winners in Prime Minister Datuk Seri Anwar Ibrahim’s long-anticipated Cabinet reshuffle, taking charge of the powerful Economy Ministry and cementing his place among the ruling coalition’s next generation of leaders.
Akmal, 39, the Johor Bahru MP and a former PKR Youth Chief, is widely regarded as one of the most technocratic figures in the party.
Trained in actuarial science and economics at the University of Wisconsin–Madison, he previously served in two deputy ministerial roles – at Local Government Development and later at Energy Transition and Water Transformation.
Before entering frontline politics, Akmal co-founded the National Oversight and Whistleblowers Centre (NOW) with Rafizi Ramli, positioning himself early as part of the reformist movement pushing for financial transparency and public accountability.
His new appointment is seen as a natural progression for a leader whose political identity is rooted in oversight, data-driven policy and financial governance.
In a sign of cross-coalition cooperation, Anwar also appointed Umno’s Datuk Mohd Shahar Abdullah as Deputy Economy Minister, making the ministry one of the youngest and most diverse leadership teams in the government.
Akmal’s elevation comes as Malaysia navigates global economic headwinds, supply chain realignments and pressures on domestic cost of living, conditions that will test his policymaking agility and reform credentials.
Within minutes of the announcement, Akmal’s Facebook page was flooded with congratulatory messages, with supporters hailing his elevation to a full ministerial post as long overdue and reflecting growing confidence in younger leadership within the unity government.
The Cabinet reshuffle, announced live at 3.30pm today, also saw several other key updates.
Among them:
- Datuk Seri Johari Abdul Ghani takes over as Investment, Trade and Industry Minister.
- Hannah Yeoh moves to the Prime Minister’s Department to oversee federal territories, with Sungai Petani MP Taufiq Johari replacing her as Youth and Sports Minister.
- Yeoh’s former deputy, Adam Adli, now serves as Deputy Minister of Higher Education.
- Datuk Seri Arthur Joseph Kurup becomes Minister of Natural Resources and Environmental Sustainability, joined by PKR’s Syed Ibrahim Syed Noh as deputy.
- Steven Sim shifts to the Entrepreneur Development and Cooperatives Ministry, while Datuk Seri R. Ramanan takes the Human Resources portfolio.
Anwar said the reshuffle is aimed at strengthening governance and improving policy implementation “for the well-being of the people and the country.”
All newly appointed ministers and deputies will be sworn in tomorrow, marking the start of a new legislative and policy phase for the unity government, with Akmal Nasir now positioned at its economic core.