I didn't want to mix party and minister duties - Rafizi explains recent leave

Summary

• Economy Minister Rafizi Ramli explains he took a long leave from his government duties to handle fallout from the PKR polls.

• Rafizi says he had informed Prime Minister Anwar Ibrahim before taking a break.

• The Pandan MP also emphasises the need for a minister not to mix government duties with party work.

Economy Minister Rafizi Ramli has justified his recent leave, asserting that the freshly ended break from his ministerial duties was so that he could handle grievances within PKR.

Rafizi, who is also the PKR deputy president, said he had applied for his leave to Prime Minister Anwar Ibrahim after considering the various issues arising from disputed results during the party's divisional polls.

"Recognising that complaints and arising issues (linked to the polls) had to be managed harmoniously, as the deputy president, I decided to fully focus on addressing these matters.

"(Such efforts) included various meetings and listening directly to concerns raised by multiple candidates, regardless of their camp," he said in a statement today.

Noting that such measures required time, the Pandan MP said party-related work should ideally not be mixed with the duties and time of a minister.

"For me, separating the responsibilities of a political party leader from official ministerial duties is a new political culture that we should cultivate," he added.

Heavy criticism

On April 30, a minister, speaking on condition of anonymity, told Malaysiakini that Rafizi was on leave amid rumours regarding his resignation from his government post.

Sources told Malaysiakini that Rafizi had resumed work as of yesterday.

Rafizi's leave coincided with PKR divisional election results which saw several of his key allies decisively defeated. This indicated the challenging road ahead as he prepares to defend his number two position in PKR's central leadership election this month.

Anwar, however, downplayed the matter, stating the leave was a non-issue.

Nevertheless, many quarters criticised Rafizi for his decision, including PAS information chief Ahmad Fadhli Shaari and Umno supreme council member Puad Zarkashi.

Fadhli said it is “nonsensical” that Rafizi’s long break was approved by his higher-ups, claiming that the matter has made Malaysia a laughing stock.

Puad reminded Rafizi that when it comes to prioritising between party and government, the latter must come first and demanded that Rafizi justify his long leave.

Pushing Nurul Izzah to be PKR No 2 can be its undoing, analysts warn

Lobbying begins, support for Nurul Izzah to challenge Rafizi as PKR No 2

Rafizi resumes work today but criticism mounts

PAS MP fuels dissatisfaction over Rafizi's leave amid economic instability