Anwar should stay on as PM for political stability, says Rafizi
PETALING JAYA : Anwar Ibrahim should remain as prime minister until the end of his term to ensure political stability amid economic uncertainty, says former economy minister Rafizi Ramli.
Rafizi, who is Pandan MP, said any change in government now could disrupt efforts to manage growing economic challenges, including slowing growth projections across the Asean region.
'We can't have a change of government right now as we're facing serious economic challenges,' he said in the latest episode of the Yang Berhenti Menteri podcast yesterday.
He cited forecasts indicating that countries like Indonesia, Thailand, Vietnam, Singapore and the Philippines could see growth drop by 2% to 3%. If Malaysia's growth falls to 3% or lower, it could pose a serious risk to the country over the next one to two years, he said.
He said a stable government is needed to manage the situation and complete the current term.
Perikatan Nasional has planned a 'Turun Anwar' mass rally for July 26 to push for Anwar's resignation.
Organisers claim they expect up to 300,000 participants, although a similar protest in Shah Alam earlier this month drew just over 300.
Rafizi also said he has no intention of criticising or embarrassing Anwar in the Dewan Rakyat when it reconvenes on Monday.
This comes after Anwar said he had no plans to take disciplinary action against PKR MPs who expressed differing views on judicial appointments.
Last week, 19 PKR divisions in Johor called for Rafizi and eight other MPs to be suspended after they demanded a royal commission of inquiry (RCI) and a parliamentary hearing into delays in appointing top judicial posts.
The nine MPs claimed the matter amounted to a constitutional crisis, an allegation which the Attorney-General's Chambers denied. The AGC also dismissed the call for an RCI, stating that the appointment process was proceeding at the time in accordance with the Federal Constitution.
Since then, Wan Ahmad Farid Wan Salleh has been appointed chief justice, replacing Tengku Maimun Tuan Mat, who retired earlier this month.
The Yang di-Pertuan Agong also consented to the appointments of Abu Bakar Jais as Court of Appeal president and Azizah Nawawi as chief judge of Sabah and Sarawak. All three will be sworn in and receive their letters of appointment at Istana Negara on July 28.
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