Ex-Umno MP made Matrade chairman

Former Kepala Batas MP Reezal Merican Naina Merican has been made chairman of Matrade, the national trade promotion agency under the investment, trade and industry ministry.

He replaces Hazimah Zainuddin.

Reezal served as a minister under the two previous prime ministers, Ismail Sabri Yaakob and Muhyiddin Yassin,

At the general election last year, he lost his Kepala Batas parlimentary seat to Perikatan Nasional's Dr Siti Mastura Muhammad, ending almost five decades of Barisan Nasional's grip on the federal constituency.

His appointment is the latest in a series of politicians from ruling coalitions being named to helm government agencies and GLCs.

They include the appointment of PKR's Syed Ibrahim Syed Noh as the non-executive chairman of the Malaysia Digital Economy Corporation, a GLC under the communications and digital ministry headed by Fahmi Fadzil, and two Umno men to head Malay economic empowerment agencies Majlis Amanah Rakyat and Felcra.

Meanwhile, PKR's Balik Pulau MP Bakhtiar Wan Chik was named to head finance ministry-owned investment arm MyCreative Ventures Sdn Bhd, and Abdullah Sani Abdul Hamid was appointed to head Tekun Nasional.