JOHOR BAHRU: While Rafizi Ramli failed to retain his No 2 post in Malaysia’s ruling Parti Keadilan Rakyat (PKR) and has resigned as Economy Minister, he still has a shout in taking over the party’s top post from Prime Minister Anwar Ibrahim, said analysts.

They added that him stepping down from Anwar’s Cabinet now may just be the impetus the maverick 47-year-old needs to revive his standing in PKR, and return to challenge the post of party chief in as soon as three years. 

Speaking to CNA, the political experts pointed to how Rafizi’s outspoken personality of being critical of the government policies, especially those he does not consider to be aligned with the party’s “reformasi” principles, could win him support among PKR members.

Furthermore, this is something he can pursue as a backbencher unencumbered by a ministerial position and the need to toe the Cabinet line. 

Subscribe to CNA’s Morning Brief

An automated curation of our top stories to start your day.

This service is not intended for persons residing in the E.U. By clicking subscribe, I agree to receive news updates and promotional material from Mediacorp and Mediacorp’s partners.

Loading

"He is more powerful in the party without a Cabinet position,” James Chin, Professor of Asian Studies at the University of Tasmania, told CNA.

“Previously he was caught by the collective responsibility of his job but now he is free to be critical of things he previously could not, such as corruption. He is known best as a reformer.” 

Meanwhile, the pressure and spotlight will be on newly appointed PKR deputy president Nurul Izzah Anwar, Anwar's daughter who defeated Rafizi in a face-off for the PKR deputy president post in last weekend’s party leadership polls.

Observers said she will need to show the party and the Malaysian people she can deliver on her promise to synergise PKR and clinch victory for the unity government coalition in the upcoming Sabah state elections.

If the 44-year-old fails, allegations of nepotism will likely resurface, analysts said, and the question mark of who then can replace Anwar both as party chief and premier of Malaysia will again be put to the fore.

In the short term, analysts added that Anwar will have to replace two positions in his Cabinet - the Minister of Economy post vacated by Rafizi - as well as the position of Minister of Natural Resources and Environmental Sustainability after Nik Nazmi Nik Ahmad, a close ally to Rafizi, also resigned having lost his vice-presidency post in the party.

Observers said that Anwar is likely to appoint PKR members to these Cabinet posts, and he may promote from within the party’s ranks, and possibly reward members who won in the recent polls. 

RAFIZI COULD COME BACK STRONGER TO LEAD PKR: ANALYSTS

Azmi Hassan, a senior fellow at the Malaysia-based think-tank Nusantara Academy for Strategic Research, told CNA that he feels that it is likely “not the end of the road” for Rafizi in PKR and that he could well challenge for the party presidency in three years when Anwar is forced to step aside due to a two-term limit stipulated in the party's constitution.

"Rafizi will likely remain in PKR and he's waiting for maybe when the party's presidency becomes vacant, perhaps he will challenge, whether it's Nurul Izzah or somebody else," said Azmi.

He cited how Rafizi was an asset for PKR and the Pakatan Harapan (PH) coalition in the last general election in 2022 when he, as a key strategist, was credited within party circles for helping to secure victories in marginal seats.

The next general election must be held by Feb 2028 and the next PKR leadership polls is expected to be only after that.

This means that if the current ruling coalition goes on to serve a full term, Anwar will likely lead PKR to the national polls. He will be 80 then.

Azmi added that Rafizi is also unlikely to leave PKR because some of his key allies have held on to senior positions in the party. 

These include Negeri Sembilan Chief Minister Aminuddin Harun as well as Minister of Science, Technology and Innovation Chang Lih Kang, both of whom retained their posts as vice-presidents.

Akmal Nasir, another of Rafizi's allies, also defended his post in the party's federal supreme council.

"It’s best for (Rafizi) to relinquish his post in the Cabinet because his appointment as Economy Minister was tied to his position in the party, rather than his acumen for the role. He can now bide his time, canvass for support and be ready to challenge for the (party’s) presidency," said Azmi.

Chin added that Rafizi will unlikely join another political party because his principles are best aligned with PKR and he has been fiercely critical of parties like the United Malays National Organisation, Parti Islam Se-Malaysia (PAS) and Parti Pribumi Bersatu Malaysia (Bersatu) in the last general election campaign.

Political analyst Awang Azman Awang Pawi of Universiti Malaya told CNA that both Rafizi and his close ally Nik Nazmi will have time and space to prepare the party for upcoming polls, and prove their worth ahead of the next internal party elections likely to be held in 2028. 

“They can try to canvas support to ensure that there is a big wave of voters who will support PKR and PH for the next election,” said Awang Azman. 

WHAT NURUL IZZAH’S OLIVE BRANCH TO RAFIZI MEANS 

Analysts added that Nurul Izzah's statement following Rafizi's resignation, in which she praised Rafizi's ideas and principles, outlining that he will "always be a source of strength, whether within the government or outside it", was a positive move to unite the party after a divisive campaign for the internal polls. 

Chin said Nurul Izzah's efforts to extend an olive branch could pave the way for the two leaders to work together in the long term, a boost for PKR given their complementary strengths. 

Nurul Izzah has experience in helping to shape policies for Malaysian households living in poverty, as well as catering to the needs of women and youths. Meanwhile, Rafizi's strength is to garner support from fence-sitting voters during elections with his forceful personality. 

"Many have said that the best leadership combination for PKR is both Nurul Izzah and Rafizi at the head of the party. This combination is considered the dream team for PKR's future," said Chin.

After a harsh campaign for the deputy presidency, there were reports that Nurul Izzah and Rafizi were not on talking terms recently. 

The latter left for Kuala Lumpur almost immediately after the results were announced last Friday and was conspicuously absent during the last day of the party congress on Saturday. 

Meanwhile, when asked by reporters on Saturday if she would reach out to Rafizi, Nurul Izzah was hesitant and merely said that “it was an ongoing process” to open lines of communication. 

Awang Azman added that Nurul Izzah initiating the reconciliation between the two leaders would allow her to engage party members who did not vote for her in the polls. 

“It allows the party to engage those who may have felt that they lost, it was a way to reach out and say ‘we want to work together’. If she had not reached out and (these members) left the party, the vote share for PKR might fall by 30-35 per cent,” he said. 

Chin added that Nurul Izzah meanwhile, will be judged in her role as party's number two in the upcoming Sabah elections due by December.

He added that Anwar will be encumbered by federal government responsibilities and that it will be up to Nurul Izzah to synergise the grassroots and lead the Madani government's campaign.

"If Nurul cannot deliver on Sabah, then people will start raising the issue of nepotism again," said Chin.

HOW CAN ANWAR FILL TWO CABINET POSTS? 

In the near term, Anwar will need to fill up the two ministerial posts which have been vacated. 

Observers have said that a full-scale Cabinet reshuffle is unlikely given that the priority is to fill two gaps rather than changing ministers’ portfolio on a large scale. 

They added that Anwar will likely pick from members of his party, given that the two spots are part of PKR’s quota in the Cabinet. 

It is understood that each party in Anwar's unity government has a set number of ministerial posts allocated, based loosely on their number of seats in the legislative assembly. 

Awang Azman predicted that Anwar could reward some party members who contested in the PKR polls and won - including promoting Deputy Minister of Entrepreneur Development and Cooperatives R Ramakrishan to a full minister position. R Ramakrishnan replaced Nik Nazmi as vice-president in last weekend’s polls. 

Before the PKR congress, all four PKR vice-presidents were either state chief ministers or full Cabinet ministers. 

“He (Anwar) may also look at the supreme council and promote from there, there will be no shortage of choice,” said Awang Azman. 

Chin told CNA that if Anwar is unable to promote from within, he may consider appointing senators, including his daughter, into a ministerial position. 

However doing this could again resurface the nepotism accusations, he added. 

“If Anwar does that, he will send a bad signal to his own party. There's enough talent among PKR MPs to fill these gaps,” said Chin.