Zambry said he had expressed hope that Prime Minister Anwar Ibrahim would continue supporting the Putrajaya Festival of Ideas (FOI) event in the years ahead, even if he no longer heads the ministry.

“The prime minister just smiled and said okay. Because my time’s almost up … maybe two or three weeks more,” he said at the closing ceremony of the FOI, aimed at showcasing ideas and making higher education more accessible to the public.

Asked by reporters if there is already a list for a Cabinet reshuffle, Anwar simply said: “Give me your suggestions if you have any.”

Zambry’s tenure as a senator will end on Dec 2, two years after he was sworn in on Dec 3, 2022, before being appointed foreign minister, and later, higher education minister.

Others who were sworn in as senators on the same date include home minister Saifuddin Nasution Ismail, religious affairs minister Na’im Mokhtar, and investment, trade and industry minister Tengku Zafrul Aziz.

Tengku Zafrul is the only one among them currently serving his second and final term.

Under the Federal Constitution, senators serve a three-year term and may be reappointed once, for a maximum of six consecutive years.

At present, the Cabinet has two vacant posts after the resignations of economy minister Rafizi Ramli, and natural resources and environment sustainability minister Nik Nazmi Nik Ahmad on May 28.

Their duties are being handled by finance minister II Amir Hamzah Azizan, and plantation and commodities minister Johari Ghani, respectively.