[[{“value”:”
TALK of a Cabinet reshuffle after the Sabah state election has been circulating for some time now with much of it centres on the possibility of former health minister Khairy Jamaluddin (KJ) making a comeback.
Other names floated for ministerial appointments include Nurul Izzah Anwar, Datuk Seri R. Ramanan and Datuk Seri Dr Noraini Ahmad.
However, Prime Minister Datuk Seri Anwar Ibrahim appeared to have played down the possibility of KJ’s Cabinet return by stating that he was “shocked” to hear the news.
Amid rife speculations, another seemingly separate development is taking place across the South China Sea.
In Sabah which is gearing up for its Nov 29 state polls, the state’s UMNO deputy chief Datuk Seri Abdul Rahman Dahlan yesterday (Nov 12) abruptly announced he’s withdrawing from contesting in the Tempasuk seat.
His exit raised eyebrows because Abdul Rahman is not just any state figure. He is a former federal minister, an UMNO warlord and someone long seen as a political heavyweight in Sabah politics.
Heavyweight, warlord stature
He has also had a complicated history with state UMNO chief Datuk Seri Bung Mokhtar Radin who is defending his Lamag seat. This has only made Abdul Rahman’s withdrawal all the more unexpected.
But given how politicians almost never willingly step away from power, was there a quid pro quo arrangement for Abdul Rahman to give the Sabah polls a miss? The timing of his decision could not have been more uncanny.
By early December, when the Sabah polls are concluded, Anwar is expected to announce a Cabinet reshuffle, a move necessitated by the departures of four Ministers by then, including Datuk Seri Tengku Zafrul Tengku Abdul Aziz who now heads the Investment, Trade and Industry Ministry (MITI).
That Tengku Zafrul’s impending departure is due to the expiry of his second term senatorship come Dec 2 means that UMNO will soon have a vacant federal Cabinet seat as he was appointed through the party’s quota.
In that context, Abdul Rahman stepping aside from a potentially difficult state contest has prompted talk that he may be preparing for a return to Putrajaya.
As he had previously served as a minister in the Prime Minister’s Department handling economic coordination, the MITI portfolio would not be unfamiliar terrain.
Best option
Moreover, his ministerial exposure is further capped by being a former housing and local government minister. In essence, Rahman just needs to be made a senator to return to the rank of a minister in the Madani government.
But there is also another layer to this. Even if Abdul Rahman had contested and won a state seat, the chances of him becoming Chief Minister were far from guaranteed.
Sabah politics is notoriously fragmented with multi-cornered fights and competing blocs from Gabungan Rakyat Sabah (GRS), Warisan and Pakatan Harapan (PH).
The state mood also leans heavily towards the Sabah for Sabahans or Sabah First narrative, making it harder for individuals from Peninsula-based parties like UMNO to rise above the fray.
Source: Bernama
At best, Rahman might have secured a state ministership which may not carry the same weight as a federal role.
Seen this way, stepping back from the state election may simply be a strategic calculation. The odds in Sabah are uncertain but the federal vacancy is real.
A ministerial portfolio like MITI offers wider influence, international visibility and a chance to shape economic policy at a time when Malaysia faces global competition for trade and investment.
So while the political crowd watches for KJ’s next move, the more interesting question may be whether Abdul Rahman is quietly lining himself up for a far bigger comeback.
If that is the case, the real story is not who returns to Cabinet but who positions himself for the prize while everyone else is looking the other way. – Nov 13, 2025
Johan Abu Bakar is a Focus Malaysia reader.
The views expressed are solely of the author and do not necessarily reflect those of Focus Malaysia.
Main image credit: Dato’ Abdul Rahman Dahlan/Facebook; Tengku Zafrul/Facebook
The post Forget KJ: Rahman Dahlan looks more likely to fill up Tengku Zafrul’s vacancy in MITI first appeared on Focus Malaysia.
“}]]
