Amanah Youth executive council member Ahmad Azri Abdullah had said that deputy president Mujahid Yusof Rawa, Pulai MP Suhaizan Kaiat or Amanah Youth chief Hasbie Muda could have been chosen for the post instead.

But Amanah central committee member Raja Kamarul Bahrin Shah said it would be inappropriate for Mujahid to be appointed deputy minister as he served as the full minister for religious affairs from 2018 to 2020.

He said proposing Mujahid for a deputy ministership reflected ignorance and a lack of respect on Azri’s part.

“It is highly disrespectful to Amanah and Pakatan Harapan (PH) for Azri to suggest a lesser appointment in light of Mujahid’s prominence in both local and international religious circles,” he said in a statement.

Raja Kamarul added that Hasbie was not suitable for the post given that he had zero formal religious qualifications or experience in government.

The former MP also said Azri had exhibited ignorance and a lack of respect for Prime Minister Anwar Ibrahim, the PH chairman, by claiming that the decision not to appoint an Amanah man to the post was a “slap in the face” for the party.

He said Amanah would have submitted a list of proposed candidates to Anwar for the reshuffle of ministers and deputies.

“To be fair to the prime minister, Azri should first check with the Amanah leadership if Mujahid’s name was ever on the party’s list for the recent and previous Cabinet appointments before accusing Anwar of ‘skipping’ Amanah.

“Azri should verify these facts as the problem may not have been with the Prime Minister’s Office,” said Raja Kamarul.

Amanah currently has two ministers: party president Mohamad Sabu (agriculture and food security) and vice-president Dzulkefly Ahmad (health).

Fellow Amanah vice-president Adly Zahari is deputy defence minister while Wanita Amanah chief Aiman Athirah Sabu is deputy housing and local government minister.