Rafizi says he criticises PKR, govt for them to do better

 The former PKR deputy president says if he were to leave the party as urged, he would speak up even more, making him "more dangerous" to PKR.

Former PKR deputy president Rafizi Ramli said criticism is part of PKR’s principles and “we should not change just because the party is now in government”.

KUALA LUMPUR:

 Former PKR deputy president Rafizi Ramli has defended criticisms he has made of the party and government, saying the rremarks were meant to rectify shortcomings and not aimed at weakening the party.

The Pandan MP said issues he raised were of national interest and concerned the integrity of public institutions such as the Malaysian Anti-Corruption Commission. “This is not about the party, but of the country,” he told reporters after attending an Aidilfitri open house in Pandan Indah.

Rafizi said he has been reprimanding various governments for over 15 years, including those of Najib Razak, Dr Mahathir Mohamad and Muhyiddin Yassin. “Such criticism is part of PKR’s principles and we should not change just because the party is now in government. If there is an issue, they (the government) need to respond,” he said.

He said it would be dangerous for PKR to change its principles when it was in government, especially since the party considered criticism of the government to be a good practice in the past.

Should the government respond effectively, the matter would die out. “It would also showcase the government’s ability in addressing issues of public interest,” he said.

Rafizi’s remarks were in response to Johor PKR chief Dr Zaliha Mustafa who said Rafizi’s criticisms could potentially impact the party.

Rafizi added that any attempts to attack or undermine leaders who openly criticise will only escalate the issue and negatively affect the government and the party, especially when more people support the leaders involved.

He brushed off calls by Sarawak PKR secretary Mahmud Epah for Rafizi to leave the party after Mahmud labelled him the biggest liability to the reform agenda.

Rafizi said his resignation could prove to be detrimental to the party. “If I were to leave the party, I would speak up even more and I would be more dangerous to PKR.”

Madani Mart and conflict of interests

Commenting on the government’s launch of the Madani Mart retail shops, Rafizi said that although the initiative looks good, he is concerned about potential conflicts of interest given that three PKR leaders are trustees of Yayasan Madani, a partner in the initiative.

“If the marts operate in the same manner as other traders, without taking excessive profits and offer reasonable prices, that would be good. We welcome it because we need competition to keep prices low.”

The government has said it intends to open 640 Madani Mart shops across the country to sell daily necessities at affordable prices. - FMT