Economy Minister Rafizi Ramli has tendered his resignation, with June 17 set to be his last day in office.
Noting that his resignation letter was submitted to Prime Minister Anwar Ibrahim, Rafizi said he will be clearing his annual leave beginning today until June 16.
The Pandan MP’s departure from the cabinet follows his recent failure to defend the PKR deputy president post against Anwar’s daughter, Nurul Izzah Anwar.
In a statement today, Rafizi said his loss at the PKR election means he no longer has the party’s mandate to translate its agenda into government programmes.
“As is the practice in countries that uphold democratic principles, leaders who lose in party elections should make way for those who have won to take up government positions,” he added.
Thanking Economy Ministry staffers who have supported him throughout his tenure as minister, Rafizi said he witnessed firsthand the capability of public servants who can formulate policies and follow through with effective frameworks.
“I am confident that programmes aimed at improving the country’s economic structure, pioneered by the Economy Ministry, will continue to be implemented successfully by the civil service,” he said.
He also said his final responsibility as economy minister has been fulfilled with the completion of the 13th Malaysia Plan, which has been finalised and is awaiting presentation in the next Parliament sitting.
He hoped the cabinet would continue to uphold the “bold reforms” within the plan, particularly those involving the Education Ministry, even though he would no longer be part of the cabinet.
“Our journey to transform the country’s economic structure into one that is stronger and to achieve a high-income nation status is still a long way off.
“Therefore, we must continue to make sound, long-term decisions, even if they are difficult and challenging, for the sake of future generations,” he stressed.
In a statement later, the Prime Minister’s Office confirmed that Anwar has received Rafizi’s resignation and leave application letter.
“Any further decisions will be informed later by the prime minister,” it said.
Becoming a regular MP
Yesterday, Rafizi was spotted at the 46th Asean Summit, in what is now his swansong appearance as the economy minister.
On May 10, Rafizi said that if he fails to defend his PKR deputy presidency, he would resign as a minister and become “a regular MP”.
Nurul Izzah won the post by a landslide, with Rafizi bagging just 28 percent of votes. However, he later said he remains resolute, vowing to press on in his fight for a better Malaysia.
On May 26, it was reported that Anwar, who is the PKR president, ordered the party’s newly elected leadership to meet and have a post-mortem of the election as well as to decide on appointed office bearers.
Selangor Menteri Besar Amirudin Shari, who retained his vice-presidency in the party, said that the agenda for the meeting included a discussion on an appointed post for Rafizi.
Just half an hour before Rafizi’s statement was released to the public, Anwar refused to comment on rumours of the minister’s resignation when quizzed by the press.
“Who told you that?” the prime minister was quoted by Sinar Harian as saying when met by reporters after the closing ceremony of the 2025 Asean Auditors Conference. - Mkini
No comments:
Post a Comment
Note: Only a member of this blog may post a comment.