Don’t waste Rafizi’s talent, PH told

A political analyst says the PKR veep has begun to sound like someone with nothing important to say or do.

PKR vice-president Rafizi Ramli.

GEORGE TOWN: A political analyst has urged Pakatan Harapan (PH) to give PKR vice-president Rafizi Ramli a significant role in the government to reflect his political acumen.

Speaking to FMT, Kamarul Zaman Yusoff of the Malaysian Islamic Strategic Research Institute said Rafizi had sounded like someone who had nothing important to say or do when he recently spoke about PH’s confidence in its ability to capture Kelantan and Terengganu in the next general election.

He criticised Rafizi’s statement as uncalled for, saying it could give the impression that PH was keener on achieving political victories than on ensuring that it does its best in administering the country.

He also said the former Pandan MP might have overstepped the bounds of his authority as the leading opposition party in the east coast states is Amanah, not PKR.

He alleged that Rafizi was trying to get back into the spotlight after finding himself unrewarded for his contributions towards PH’s victory in the recent general election.

Kamarul acknowledged that those contributions were significant. He also described Rafizi as a talented politician, adding that PH should not let such talent go to waste.

Last month, Rafizi came under fire for accusing Prime Minister Dr Mahathir Mohamad of bulldozing his way in deciding on Cabinet appointments.

In a subsequent statement, he said PH’s victory in the election had little to do with Mahathir’s alleged popularity. He attributed it instead to the unpopularity of Barisan Nasional (BN), saying voters blamed the coalition for the rising cost of living and had punished it for introducing the goods and services tax.

Kamarul advised PH to keep its focus on giving its best effort to administering the country and the states it controls, saying that might result in its eventual takeover of states currently ruled by federal opposition parties.

He also said it should not neglect opposition-ruled states like BN used to do. -FMT