I won't be lame duck minister just to be silenced, sidelined: Rafizi

I won't be lame duck minister just to be silenced, sidelined: Rafizi

Qistina Nadia Dzulqarnain
Published: Jun 21, 2025 8:00 AM
Updated: 10:03 AM


Summary

• Rafizi says remaining in the cabinet without space to express dissent would make him a mere “lame duck” minister after losing PKR’s deputy presidency race to Nurul Izzah.

• He claims attempts to retain him were meant to silence his views while benefiting from his influence, warning against toxic political cultures.

• Rafizi says his ministry delivered key reforms, and he now aims to engage PKR grassroots and steer focus toward constructive change.

PKR MP Rafizi Ramli believes that there is no reason for him to remain in the cabinet if the ministerial position comes at the cost of him losing his ability to voice certain views.

Speaking on the first episode of his “Yang Berhenti Menteri” podcast last night, Rafizi said he would merely be a “lame duck” minister if he had opted to stay on after losing the PKR deputy presidency race to Prime Minister Anwar Ibrahim’s daughter, Nurul Izzah.

“I don’t want to be part of the cabinet if the implication is that my views are suppressed, or I’m not allowed to have a different opinion,” Rafizi said.

“I don’t want to be in a position where I’m told to ‘don’t merajuk (sulk) and just do the work for the party’. While my efforts - if they add value to PKR - will boost the party, I won’t be given space to have differing views.

“I won’t have any influence on decisions about who gets appointed, who’s actually qualified, or in changing the toxic political culture that I disagree with.

“If I’m not careful, I will become an enabler to everything that I was against before PKR formed the government,” he added.


Confidence lost

PKR president Anwar Ibrahim and his daughter Nurul Izzah


Rafizi highlighted that Nurul Izzah’s move to contest in the polls was done with Anwar’s blessing as the PKR president, and also sent a signal that Anwar had lost confidence in his leadership as the party’s deputy president and the economy minister.

He noted that clinging on to his ministerial position would have only “dragged down” the Economy Ministry as civil servants would have taken note of his loss of legitimacy, thus potentially affecting any work brought by the ministry.

“To do the job of reforming the economy is precisely why (having the) mandate is very important… it translates to the progress of reforms. If you lose the mandate, then that means that your views and ideas have been rejected.

“Even if I had stayed on (as economy minister), it would not have been smooth sailing for (the ministry as) the perception is that I no longer have the prime minister’s endorsement,” the Pandan MP explained.


Question of principles

Referencing Nurul Izzah’s previously reported offer for him to be an appointed PKR deputy president so that he can continue working in his ministry, Rafizi asserted that the proposal was simply to ensure the party benefits from his supporters while silencing him.

“It’s a very important question of principles. If we are truly confident in reformations, we must ensure that there is space (for differing views) - if not, accusations of merajuk will always surface whenever someone voices out,” he said.

“We have to return to our fundamentals. It’s fine with me if I’m not a minister or a (party) post holder, but these are matters which must be addressed for PKR’s future and survivability.”

On dissenters who lambasted him for leaving his ministerial job halfway, Rafizi asserted that under his leadership, the Economy Ministry had managed to push through several key initiatives.

He said the 13th Malaysia Plan and the Anti-Rent Seeking Act, better known as the Anti Ali Baba Act, are the only matters he had not been able to see through completely.

Rafizi also appeared to target PKR Wanita chief and Education Minister Fadhlina Sidek, asking people to question her ministerial achievements since taking the post, instead of solely focusing on scrutinising the Economy Ministry.

While he offered no specific criticism to support his attack against the Nibong Tebal MP, he also name-dropped PKR vice-president R Ramanan while urging the party not to dismiss its grassroots members.

“There are two or three (individuals) in PKR now who don’t understand the party’s history because they’ve just joined us.

“They should never underestimate the energy of the regular rakyat, who do not hold any post and don’t wear shirts featuring Ramanan and Anwar’s photos, but these (new party figures) forget that it’s these nameless, small people that have kept PKR alive all these years.

“Without them, there is no PKR. I think they have massive potential and their yearning to serve the party is still there - my challenge now is to figure out how to harness their power and resources,” Rafizi said.


‘Celebrating’ loss

When asked if he is considering establishing a new party, Rafizi quipped that the only party he has planned so far is a gathering scheduled to be held next month to “celebrate” his loss.

Admitting that he had initially considered the suggestion, he said his responsibility now is to ensure that he and his supporters don’t get “carried away” by what they want, but instead focus on what needs to happen - stability within the government.

Rafizi also said he will be setting aside time to meet disappointed and frustrated PKR grassroots members, some of whom endured various hardships during the party’s earlier days in the opposition.

“It is important for me to be able to harness their energy and emotion away from toxic matters to issues which are constructive to society,” he said.