Zahid, who is also rural and regional development minister, said Prime Minister Anwar Ibrahim had taken several factors into consideration before appointing Yeoh and Lo from DAP and Gabungan Rakyat Sabah, respectively, to lead the ministry.

“All major decisions were brought before the Cabinet, and deliberations were made in accordance with various provisions to ensure that the interests of all parties are safeguarded.

“This is not a racial issue, as the government upholds inclusiveness in the implementation of national agendas, including in the federal territories,” Bernama reported him as saying in Kuala Lumpur.

Zahid said while Yeoh is a DAP representative, her track record at the youth and sports ministry did not indicate any racial agenda.

He also pointed out that the Kuala Lumpur mayor is a Malay and that Kuala Lumpur City Hall serves as the primary agency in the region.

The recent Cabinet reshuffle saw Yeoh moved from her post as youth and sports minister to the federal territories ministry, while Lo, a new face in the federal administration, was appointed as her deputy.

Yesterday, Umno secretary-general Asyraf Wajdi Dusuki cautioned that sentiments about Yeoh’s appointment should be handled wisely, saying questions had been posed online about why a Chinese MP from DAP was chosen to head the federal territories portfolio.

He said there were concerns about the fate of Bumiputera urbanites and the possible introduction of local council elections in Kuala Lumpur, which DAP advocates.

PAS secretary-general Takiyuddin Hassan also claimed that the appointment of two Chinese leaders to the federal territories portfolio was a deliberate strategy to strengthen DAP’s dominance in major urban centres.

He said concentrating urban power in the hands of leaders from the same ethnicity and political party could raise questions about an imbalance of power and the direction of the nation’s administration.