Malaysia appoints youngest-ever minister

KUALA LUMPUR, July 02 (AP): Malaysian Prime Minister Mahathir Mohamad completed his cabinet on Monday.

Mahathir completed his cabinet with the appointments of another 13 lawmakers, including a 25-year-old touted as the country's youngest minister and a science minister who will focus on green technology and climate change.

The cabinet expansion is expected to stabilize the government and comes nearly two months after Mahathir led a four-party alliance to oust the National Front coalition that had held power since Malaysia's independence from Britain in 1957.

The 13 new ministers and 28 deputy ministers were sworn-in in a palace ceremony.

Syed Saddiq Abdul Rahman, a 25-year-old law graduate who was a prominent debater and currently youth chief of Mahathir's party, was appointed youth and sports minister, making him the youngest-ever to be appointed to the cabinet.

Engineer Yeo Bee Yin, 35, was given the energy, green technology, science and climate change portfolio, the first time climate change and green technology were given strong prominence.