Latest news with #RafiziRamli
Yahoo
a day ago
- Business
- Yahoo
Rafizi questions Cabinet's ‘reactionary' move to restructure 13th Malaysia Plan, says rushed changes undermine civil servants' work
PUTRAJAYA, June 27 – Economy Minister Rafizi Ramli has expressed concern over the government's move to revise and restructure the 13th Malaysia Plan (13MP), warning that the last-minute decision could undermine public confidence in the national policy document. Responding to a statement by Chief Secretary to the Government Tan Sri Shamsul Azri Abu Bakar, Rafizi said he was worried that this is a knee-jerk reaction towards public brickbats towards Communications Minister Datuk Fahmi Fadzil. 'I worry that the government is being reactionary, merely in response to a few recent social media replies directed at Communications Minister Datuk Fahmi Fadzil regarding 13MP. 'Some netizens discussed 13MP and replied to his comments, which appeared to downplay or erase my involvement in the preparation of the document,' he said in a statement here. Rafizi warned that the announcement to 'revise and restructure' 13MP has raised concern among civil servants, market analysts monitoring national policy, and the public at large. The Pandan MP noted that the 13MP was developed solely by civil servants, without the involvement of external consultants, in under a year – making it the fastest-prepared Malaysia Plan to date. With only two weeks remaining before the final draft is sent for printing, Rafizi questioned if the restructuring would be rushed and whether it would bypass the consultative process with stakeholders and experts. He also warned that politicising the 13MP would do a disservice to the thousands of civil servants who worked on it and could erode public trust in the final document. 'If that happens, it would be a grave injustice to those who have worked tirelessly — often for over 12 hours a day — over the past year,' he said. He stressed that the Malaysia Plan serves as a binding framework for national policies and programmes over five years, typically developed through a non-political and rigorous process. Rafizi explained that 13MP's preparation had involved a bottom-up approach through the Inter Agency Planning Group, Technical Working Groups, and engagement sessions with state governments, industry players, and MPs between September and December 2024. Simultaneously, a top-down approach was conducted by the Ministry of Economy and policy experts to develop structural reform proposals, which were deliberated with the Prime Minister and a Special Cabinet Committee from February to April this year. Earlier, Chief Secretary to the Government and Cabinet Secretary Tan Sri Shamsul Azri Abu Bakar said Second Finance Minister Datuk Seri Amir Hamzah Azizan has been tasked with carrying out the duties and functions of the Economy Minister with immediate effect — beginning with revising the 13MP for the July Parliamentary session. On May 28, Rafizi had announced his resignation from the post of economy minister, following a defeat for the deputy president post in the recent PKR party elections.
CNA
a day ago
- Business
- CNA
Malaysia's Second Finance Minister Amir Hamzah to take over Economy Minister's duties after Rafizi resignation
PUTRAJAYA: Malaysia's Second Finance Minister Amir Hamzah Azizan will take on the duties and functions of the Economy Minister, a month after Rafizi Ramli resigned from the position following his defeat in a party election. The Cabinet made the decision in a meeting on Wednesday (Jun 25), said its secretary Shamsul Azri Abu Bakar in a statement on Friday. Amir Hamzah's 'primary responsibility' is to review and restructure the contents of the 13th Malaysia Plan, which is scheduled to be tabled in Parliament on Jul 31, said Shamsul Azri, who is also chief secretary to the government. Amir Hamzah will take into account additional information submitted by other ministries, as well as the sentiments of the Cabinet, he said. The 13th Malaysia Plan is a roadmap to tackle global shifts and domestic challenges and is set to be implemented from 2026 to 2030. Responding on Friday to Shamsul Azri's statement, former Economy Minister Rafizi said the last-minute decision to restructure the plan has raised concern among civil servants, market analysts monitoring national policy and the public. He questioned if the restructuring would be rushed and whether it would bypass the consultative process with stakeholders and experts, news outlet Malay Mail reported. He said politicising the plan would be 'a grave injustice to (civil servants) who have worked tirelessly — often for over 12 hours a day — over the past year'. Rafizi had said when he resigned on May 28 that the plan had been completed. It emphasises "comprehensive educational reforms, including several structural changes involving the Ministry of Education", Rafizi had said. "I hope the Cabinet will maintain some of the bold reforms related to the Ministry of Education in (the plan), even though I will no longer be part of the Cabinet." Rafizi stepped down after he lost the post of deputy president in his political party, Parti Keadilan Rakyat, to Prime Minister Anwar Ibrahim's daughter Nurul Izzah Anwar on May 23. He remains with the PKR and as Member of Parliament for Pandan. Rafizi's ally, Minister of Natural Resources and Environmental Sustainability Nik Nazmi Nik Ahmad, resigned on the same day as him but his replacement has not been announced. Amir Hamzah, who was appointed Second Finance Minister in December 2023, thanked Anwar in a statement and said he had received feedback from fellow ministers indicating the need to revise the 13th Malaysia Plan to better reflect the aims of the government and sustain the momentum of economic reforms. Amir Hamzah is a member of the Senate, which comprises senators chosen for excellence in their respective professions and who represent minorities in society. He was appointed by Malaysia's King. He was previously chief executive of the country's Employees Provident Fund, one of the world's largest pension funds.
Free Malaysia Today
a day ago
- Business
- Free Malaysia Today
Why last-minute revamp of 13th Malaysia Plan, Rafizi asks govt
Former economy minister Rafizi Ramli said the 13th Malaysia Plan is an important document for the nation. PETALING JAYA : Former economy minister Rafizi Ramli has questioned the government's decision to revamp the 13th Malaysia Plan (13MP), slated to be tabled in Parliament at the end of July. Rafizi said the last-minute overhaul of the next five-year development plan would raise concerns among the civil servants who prepared the 13MP, market analysts, and Malaysians as a whole. The PKR MP for Pandan also asked whether the changes would be rushed since there would be insufficient time to refer the plan to the inter-agency planning group, the technical working group, and experts who formulated the initial 13MP. 'Why is this overhaul of the 13MP arising now when there was no such issue raised when the economy ministry and I tabled the contents of the 13MP previously? 'The 13MP is an important document for the nation and Malaysians, developed by thousands of Malaysians from various segments of society. If we're not careful, the 13MP will be dragged into political polemics which would end up affecting the people's confidence in the final document. 'If this happens, it would be a great injustice to those who worked hard on the 13MP over the past year,' he said in a statement. Earlier today, the government announced that finance minister II Amir Hamzah Azizan has taken on the duties and functions of the economy portfolio, and given the duty of overhauling the 13MP. Amir said he had received 'a lot of feedback' from his Cabinet colleagues on the plan, which necessitated an overhaul of the document. Rafizi said the preparation of the 13MP started in September 2024 when feedback was obtained from all stakeholders, first through the inter agency planning group which involved every government ministry and agency. Then, he said, there was a technical working group comprising policy experts in specific areas, from health, fiscal and education reforms to micro, small and medium-sized enterprises. He said there were also numerous engagements between the economy ministry and state governments, industry players, and MPs from September to December 2024. 'At the same time, there was a 'top down' process, namely the development of key policies that were bold and radical, running concurrently involving the economy ministry and experts. 'These policies, categorised according to the various fields, were identified as key catalysts for structural reforms in those areas. These bold and radical policies that were proposed may not have been acceptable to the relevant ministries. 'That's why I tabled them to the prime minister multiple times beforehand between February to April, and tabled it twice to the Cabinet to achieve a compromise and consensus,' he said. Rafizi said there was a tight schedule to prepare and table the 13MP compared with previous Malaysia plans. He also said the 13MP was fully developed by civil servants without the involvement of external consultants.
Free Malaysia Today
a day ago
- Business
- Free Malaysia Today
Amir given economy minister's duties, to overhaul 13th Malaysia Plan
Senator Amir Hamzah Azizan was appointed as finance minister II in December 2023. (Bernama pic) PETALING JAYA : The Cabinet has agreed for finance minister II Amir Hamzah Azizan to take on the duties and functions of the economy portfolio, effective immediately. In a statement, chief secretary Shamsul Azri Abu Bakar said this was decided by the Cabinet on Wednesday. 'His main duty will be to amend and overhaul the contents of the 13th Malaysia Plan, which will be tabled in Parliament on July 31, with additional information submitted by the ministries as well as the views and comments given by the Cabinet,' he said. Amir, a senator, was appointed as finance minister II in December 2023. The economy minister's post became vacant with the resignation of Pandan MP Rafizi Ramli, who stepped down after losing his post as PKR deputy president. Rafizi said he had completed the 13th Malaysia Plan before his resignation, describing it as his final responsibility as economy minister. He said the document was drafted to place greater emphasis on comprehensive reforms, including several involving the education ministry. Following his resignation, the Small and Medium Enterprises Association of Malaysia (Samenta) urged Putrajaya to ensure continuity in economic policies and commitment to long-term reforms. Samenta chairman William Ng said the 13th Malaysia Plan in particular must not be seen as the vision of a single minister but a national blueprint born out of broad consultations and urgent necessity. Ng also warned that Malaysia risked missing out on yet another economic cycle if key reforms outlined in the plan were not retained and fully implemented. In a separate statement, Amir thanked Prime Minister Anwar Ibrahim for entrusting him with the responsibility of the economy ministry's duties in the interim. He said he had received 'a lot of feedback' from his Cabinet colleagues on the 13th Malaysia Plan which necessitated an overhaul of the document. 'This is to best showcase the policies that the Madani government is prioritising while continuing the momentum of our economic reform agenda,' he said.
Malaysiakini
a day ago
- Business
- Malaysiakini
Rafizi: Is 13MP revision knee-jerk response to tweets bashing Fahmi?
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...
