Perikatan Nasional (PN) retained the Sungai Bakap assembly seat in the recently concluded by-election, with a larger majority of more than 4,000 compared to 1,000 votes or so won by the deceased Nor Zamri Latiff in 2022.
The result showed an inclination of voters toward status-quo, where all by-elections since the last General Election have so far seen reigning parties maintain their control.
But this time, the spotlight is also cast on the Economic Minister Rafizi Ramli, who was tasked by Pakatan Harapan (PH) to oversee the Sungai Bakap by-election. However, the firebrand side of Rafizi which might have won him his reputation, might also cause him, and PH, some of the votes in Sungai Bakap.
The Pandan MP seems to crack under the pressure of mounting criticism against the Madani government's decision to remove blanket diesel subsidy as well as the partnership with BlackRock-owned Global Infrastructure Partners to manage our airports, both of which he became the main target of such criticism.
For the voters, the over-confident tone of his campaign soundbite can be translated as arrogant. He has touched on some issues but the way he carries the narratives is off-track.
First, he picked on a Gerakan lawyer appointed by Shalom Avitan, an Israeli man who made headlines in Malaysia after he was caught with bullets and firearms at a hotel in Kuala Lumpur.
Why would Rafizi do that? Is it the accused's right to be represented, and he is not found guilty yet. If Rafizi intends to counter-attack the opposition narrative of relating Anwar's administration to an Israeli/Jewish entity, then he has failed. Rafizi's argument does not ripple with the wider masses.
It is also a pathetic comparison. A PN lawyer defending an Israeli man, even if he is guilty, cannot do more harm than selling MAHB's shares to GIP, a move Anwar has consistently defended.
Before this speech, at the early stage of the by-election, Rafizi had called out a man dressed in an Umno shirt, who questioned the diesel price hike. A video clip of the incident went viral and was reported by media covering the election. Again, if Rafizi thought that his stage antic could draw voters into Pakatan's fold, he was mistaken. Malaysians, generally, have no mood in such a narcissistic behavior. The cost of living is rising and the best thing the government can do is to admit and validate such discontent,
The third blunder was when the PKR Deputy President cursed his critics with words such as ‘bahlol’ and ‘bodoh’. The video was initially released by Rafizi's team, suggesting that they might have thought this was a bright idea.
In the video, Rafizi hit back at former Umno man Isham Jalil, who had been thrashing Rafizi's argument on diesel, among other issues.
“Dia duk tanya, kamu raja formula, mana formula kamu? Memang bahlol. Formula tengah jalanlah bodoh."
(He was asking, you're the king of formula, where is your formula? Truly ignorant. The formula is working, stupid.)
Rafizi's soundbite had been criticized by Zaid Ibrahim who was right to point out Rafizi's style of communication.
“Ucapan dia, saya tengok di YouTube, dia perlekeh orang. Dialah pandai, dialah itu ini,”
(His speech, I saw on YouTube, he disparages other people. He is the smart one, he is this and that)
Akmal Saleh, Umno youth chief also joined the chorus with a rather short and cynical Facebook post.
“Formula bahlol dan bodoh dari raja formula telah mendatangkan hasil di sungai bakap”
(Ignorant and stupid formula from the king of formula has brought the result in Sungai Bakap)
While he might be the darling of Petronas once upon a time, Rafizi Ramli has exhibited a concerning pattern of behavior that raises serious doubts about his ability to effectively lead Malaysia's economic policies. Taking every criticism personally shows he lacks maturity and statesmanship expected from a government minister.
Ultimately, his thin-skinned reactions suggest an inability to tolerate dissent, which is worrying for someone in a position of power. It is not far-fetched to say Rafizi turns away voters more than the voters he converts for PH.
Ahmad Mustakim is a content creator under the Newswav Creator programme, where you get to express yourself, be a citizen journalist, and at the same time monetize your content & reach millions of users on Newswav. Log in to creator.newswav.com and become a Newswav Creator now!
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