Rafizi: Is 13MP revision knee-jerk response to tweets bashing Fahmi?

Summary

• Rafizi Ramli questions whether the 13th Malaysia Plan revision is a rushed response to social media backlash against minister and fellow PKR man Fahmi.

• He warns that politicising the plan could undermine public trust and the efforts of civil servants who spent a year preparing it.

• The ex-minister says no concerns were raised previously, asking if there will be sufficient time to consult stakeholders before the plan’s tabling in Parliament next month.

Former economy minister Rafizi Ramli has questioned whether the government’s move to revise the 13th Malaysia Plan (13MP) is a hasty reaction to social media criticism directed at Communications Minister Fahmi Fadzil.

This follows Chief Secretary to the Government Shamsul Azri Abu Bakar’s announcement earlier today that Finance Minister II Amir Hamzah Azizan has been tasked with “reviewing and revamping” the 13MP while carrying out the duties and functions of the economy minister with immediate effect.

“I am concerned that the government is taking a reactionary stance, possibly in response to a few social media posts directed at (Fahmi) over the past few days concerning the 13MP,” Rafizi said in a statement shortly after the announcement.

“In commenting on the 13MP, some netizens have responded critically to his (Fahmi’s) remarks, which appeared to downplay or erase my involvement in the drafting of the plan.”

The Pandan MP, who vacated his cabinet post following his defeat at the PKR party polls, is believed to be referring to reactions from netizens over an X post featuring a clip of Fahmi asserting that the 13MP is a “team effort” and not the product of any one individual or ministry.

Fahmi, who is also the PKR information chief, had courted backlash over his remark, with several users highlighting that while the plan does indeed involve various other ministries, the Economy Ministry under Rafizi’s leadership had pioneered the drafting of the document.

A team effort

Commenting on the plan itself, Rafizi stressed that the 13MP is a critical national document developed by thousands of Malaysians from all walks of life, with a goal to bind together the nation’s strategies, programmes, and targets over a five-year period.

“If we are not careful, dragging the 13MP into political polemics will erode public confidence in the final document,” he warned.

“If that happens, it would be a grave injustice to all those who have worked tirelessly - for over a year, day in and day out - to prepare this plan.”

He also questioned why the revision of the 13MP is only “emerging at the final hour” now, insisting that no such concerns were raised throughout the process of the Economy Ministry presenting the plan’s contents previously.

The finalised 13MP is scheduled to be tabled in Parliament on July 31.

“Does this mean the (13MP) overhaul will be rushed, with no time to consult the interagency planning groups, the technical working groups, and subject matter experts?” Rafizi asked.

“Governments may come and go, but every administration is expected to follow through with the Malaysia Plan, unless it returns to Parliament to amend one that has already been passed.

“This is why the process is extensive and deliberately non-political,” he emphasised.

Fastest-developed plan

Noting that the preparation for the 13MP had begun in September last year, Rafizi said that while the timeline for preparing and presenting the 13MP has been tight, it was set to be the fastest-developed Malaysia plan in history.

This, he said, is because the 13MP took less than a year to present after engagement and consultation sessions were held, while previous plans took between one and a half to two years to prepare.

“Bold and radical policy proposals are not necessarily accepted outright by ministries. That is why I personally presented them to the prime minister several times (between February and April 2025), and they were also presented twice to a special cabinet committee to reach a consensus and compromise,” he added.

“All evidence of these presentations to the prime minister and the cabinet is publicly available on the prime minister’s official Facebook page, which frequently reports on discussions involving the 13MP and the Economy Ministry.”

In a statement following his resignation as economy minister last month, Rafizi said his final responsibility had been fulfilled with the completion of the 13MP, which he said then had been finalised and is awaiting presentation in the next Parliament sitting.

Speaking on his podcast show recently, Rafizi said that clinging onto his ministerial position would have only “dragged down” the Economy Ministry as civil servants would have taken note of his loss of legitimacy, thus potentially affecting any work brought by the ministry.

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