Rafizi and his ally resign from Cabinet, leaving Malaysia's economic reforms in the air

Exit of Economy Minister, after defeat at party polls, comes at a critical juncture

- Shannon Teoh

KUALA LUMPUR - Malaysia's Economy Minister Rafizi Ramli resigned from the Cabinet on May 28, as promised, after suffering defeat at the hands of Prime Minister Anwar Ibrahim's daughter at the ruling party's polls on May 23.

His departure, to take effect on June 17, will leave a gap at a time when Malaysia's economic reforms are stalling due to global headwinds.

Datuk Seri Rafizi's ally, Natural Resources and Environmental Sustainability Minister Nik Nazmi Nik Ahmad, also announced his exit from the Cabinet effective from July 4, confirming a report by The Straits Times.

He cited his failure to defend his position as one of four vice-presidents as the reason for stepping down. Mr Rafizi and Mr Nik Nazmi will be on leave immediately.

In the campaign leading up to Parti Keadilan Rakyat's (PKR) internal elections, Mr Rafizi had said he would leave the Cabinet should he fail to defend the deputy presidency. Ms Nurul Izzah Anwar took close to three-quarters of the vote.

Most of those in Mr Rafizi's slate were also defeated in the polls, which were marred by accusations of nepotism, money politics and fraud.