Rafizi Ramli has vowed to resign as economy minister if he fails to be re-elected as PKR deputy president in the party elections this month.
Rafizi said it would be a relief if he was no longer part of the Cabinet as it would mean having more time and freedom to speak out on various issues.
He said it would also give him the opportunity to focus on his responsibility as an MP while helping PKR prepare for the 16th general election. Rafizi is MP for Pandan.
“If I lose, I will resign and be a regular MP,” he said during a live recording of his Yang Bakar Menteri podcast at the MBSJ multipurpose hall in Serdang here.
Rafizi added that his resignation from Prime Minister Anwar Ibrahim’s Cabinet, if it came about, would not affect the unity government’s stability.
He said being a minister meant he had to take on a lot of responsibilities, while his “mouth and hands” were tied as a member of the government.
He cited the reappointment of Azam Baki as head of the Malaysian Anti-Corruption Commission, saying that he could not openly comment on the matter even if he personally disagreed with it.
“It would be going against ethics (as a Cabinet member) because the decision was made by the prime minister. So I have to keep my mouth shut,” he said, in a reference to the convention that the Cabinet makes collective decisions.
Rafizi is in a one-on-one contest with Anwar‘s daughter, PKR vice-president Nurul Izzah, for the party’s deputy presidency.
There was previously speculation that Rafizi had resigned from Anwar‘s Cabinet following the PKR divisional elections, which saw several figures said to be closely associated with Rafizi failing to win their contests.
