Natural Resources and Environmental Sustainability Minister Nik Nazmi Nik Ahmad has tendered his resignation, with July 4 set to be his last day in office.
In a statement today, Nik Nazmi said he will be on leave beginning tomorrow until July 3.
The Setiawangsa MP’s resignation comes just hours after Rafizi Ramli announced his resignation as the economy minister.
Noting that he too had submitted his resignation to Prime Minister Anwar Ibrahim, Nik Nazmi cited his defeat at the recent PKR elections as the factor behind his resignation.
He admitted that his previous position as a PKR vice-president was a major consideration behind his appointment to the cabinet.
“Since I was not successful in defending that position during the recent party elections, I have made the decision to resign as a minister.
“I now look forward to returning to my responsibilities as a lawmaker and focusing on serving my constituents in Setiawangsa,” he added.
In a statement later, the Prime Minister’s Office confirmed that Anwar has received Nik Nazmi’s resignation and leave application letter.
“Any further decisions will be informed later by the prime minister,” it said.
Meanwhile, Nik Nazmi highlighted that just weeks after his appointment as natural resources and environmental sustainability minister in 2022, his ministry had successfully implemented targeted electricity subsidy reforms under the Imbalance Cost Pass-Through (ICPT) mechanism in Peninsular Malaysia.
He said the ministry also managed to pass the Energy Efficiency and Conservation Act in Parliament while over in the water sector, a tariff setting mechanism was introduced.
The ministry had also initiated the National Climate Change Bill, which he said is now in the final phase before being tabled in the cabinet and Parliament.
Transparency measures
Nik Nazmi pointed out that the ministry, which was previously called the Natural Resources, Environment and Climate Change Ministry, had amended the Environmental Quality Act 1974 and increased transparency in environmental impact assessment reporting.
“Malaysia also became one of the earliest countries to submit its National Biodiversity Strategies and Action Plan to address natural ecosystem loss.
“A significant reduction in deforestation rates was recognised by the secretary-general of the United Nations, Antonio Guterres,” he added.
Nik Nazmi was among several PKR leaders who lodged official complaints to the party’s election committee, alleging irregularities in the division-level results following his defeat to Setiawangsa PKR chief Afdlin Shauki Aksan.
During the party’s national election, where he contested as part of Rafizi’s team, Nik Nazmi failed to defend his vice-presidency, a position he has held since 2022.
Nurul Izzah Anwar, who bested Rafizi for the PKR deputy presidency, gained over 70 percent of votes while her allies, Selangor Menteri Besar Amirudin Shari and Deputy Entrepreneur Development and Cooperatives Minister R Ramanan, won the vice-presidency race.
Negeri Sembilan Menteri Besar Aminuddin Harun as well as Science, Technology and Innovation Minister Chang Lih Kang, both of whom are seen as being in Rafizi’s camp, were also voted in as the party’s vice-presidents. - Mkini
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