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FORMER Natural Resources and Environmental Sustainability Minister Nik Nazmi Nik Ahmad has refused to confirm whether he will reconsider his resignation, despite Prime Minister Datuk Seri Anwar Ibrahim’s public appeal for him and fellow ex-minister Datuk Seri Rafizi Ramli to rejoin the Cabinet.
“No comment,” Nik Nazmi said when asked by reporters on Friday, following the launch of Royal Selangor Eco Week 2025. He emphasised that he was attending in his capacity as Setiawangsa MP, not as a minister, and noted that the invitation had been extended before his resignation.
The Royal Selangor Visitor Centre is located within his parliamentary constituency.
“In fact, I wore a short-sleeved shirt today to ease into more casual engagements as an MP,” he remarked, adding wryly, “I will have more time to spend when I go to my new job of being an MP again.”
Nik Nazmi stepped down on 28 March, a day after Rafizi’s resignation as Minister of Economy. Both had failed to defend their positions in the Parti Keadilan Rakyat (PKR) central elections, with Nik Nazmi also losing the Setiawangsa PKR divisional leadership.
While Nik Nazmi has remained silent, Rafizi appeared to signal that his decision was final. In a Facebook post on Friday, he confirmed he had entered his office for the last time to pack and complete outstanding matters, describing it as a “farewell” of sorts.
“I went into the office one last time yesterday and today (Friday) to wrap things up and clear out,” he wrote.
Rafizi took the opportunity to thank five key policy officers who had worked alongside him on major economic initiatives, including the National Energy Transition Roadmap (NETR), the Progressive Wage Policy, and the 13th Malaysia Plan (RMK13).
“These individuals left successful careers to help me translate ideas into action, from chilli production to semiconductors, start-up ecosystems and the Johor-Singapore Special Economic Zone (JSSEZ). Now, they return to their respective fields,” he wrote.
Among them were Dr Azraai Bahari Nasruddin, a UK-trained endocrinologist with a degree in informatics from UCL; Benjamin Quek, a former fund manager with postgraduate credentials from Johns Hopkins; Oxford-educated lawyer and writer James Chai; LSE first-class PPE graduate Ismat Qayyum; and Haqimi Zamri, a young social enterprise founder with a degree in Politics and International Relations from the University of Nottingham.
“I learnt so much from them – perhaps more than they learnt from me,” Rafizi added.
Earlier this week, Prime Minister Anwar expressed hope that both Nik Nazmi and Rafizi would reconsider their decisions.
“If possible, I want them to rejoin the Cabinet… let them think carefully,” Anwar said.
However, with Rafizi’s office now cleared out and Nik Nazmi remaining non-committal, the prospect of their return to government remains uncertain. - June 13, 2025