Malaysia’s Economy Minister, Rafizi Ramli, announced on Wednesday that he will resign from the cabinet after losing his bid to remain deputy president of the ruling People’s Justice Party (PKR) to Prime Minister Anwar Ibrahim’s daughter, Nurul Izzah Anwar.
“My defeat in the recent PKR party election means I no longer have the mandate from my party to translate the people’s agenda into government policy,” Rafizi said in a statement. “Like in countries that uphold democratic principles, those who lose in party polls must make way for the winners.”
Nurul Izzah secured nearly 10,000 votes, more than double Rafizi’s 4,000, in a heated contest that drew allegations of nepotism and sparked debate over the concentration of power within the party. The Prime Minister, however, dismissed such concerns.
Rafizi, who had earlier pledged to step down if defeated, said his resignation would take effect on June 17.
Nurul Izzah, a prominent figure in Malaysian politics, first rose to national attention during her father’s imprisonment in the late 1990s. A three-term MP, she is widely known for her advocacy of political reform.
AFP
