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PANDAN Member of Parliament Datuk Seri Rafizi Ramli has maintained that the Ministry of Economy had formally objected to the proposed extension of the Foreign Workers Centralised Management System (FWCMS) contract linked to Bestinet Sdn Bhd, insisting that his position was properly recorded in Cabinet documentation.
His clarification follows remarks by Aizuddin Abd Ghafal, political secretary to Human Resources Minister R. Ramanan, who questioned why Rafizi and former Natural Resources and Environmental Sustainability Minister Nik Nazmi Nik Ahmad did not oppose the extension while serving in government, suggesting their objections only surfaced after leaving Cabinet.
Aizuddin had argued that this reflected inconsistency in their stance.
Rafizi rejected that interpretation, saying he had in fact raised formal objections at the Cabinet level when the matter was discussed.
“I have been waiting for someone from PKR or the Ministry of Human Resources to launch personal attacks like this,” he said in a statement.
“Although such attacks do not address the issues of transparency and integrity that we raised, they provide an opportunity for me to explain what happened behind the scenes on national issues such as FWCMS and Bestinet.”
He said his objection, together with the position of the Ministry of Economy, was formally recorded in Cabinet meeting minutes and supporting documentation.
“My objection and that of the Ministry of Economy was formally recorded in Cabinet meeting minutes,” he said.
Rafizi said the proposal involving Bestinet was brought forward by the Ministry of Home Affairs and presented to Cabinet around mid-2024.
He added that Aizuddin, who was then serving as a special officer to the Home Minister, would have been aware of the discussions and written objections submitted at the time.
According to him, the Home Ministry had proposed extending the FWCMS contract for three years, or until the National Integrated Immigration System (NIISe) becomes operational.
He said the Ministry of Economy, as a central coordinating agency, was entitled to provide its views and had formally disagreed with the proposal.
“I formally stated my disagreement and requested that the proposal be reviewed by the Home Ministry,” he said.
Rafizi said his objections were based on several considerations, including existing government investment in the Foreign Worker Integrated Management System (ePPAx), which he said had already been developed using RM20 million in allocations.
He said the system was already completed and intended for foreign worker management, and that broader policy direction had also been set through the Multi-Tier Levy Management (MTLM) framework approved by the National Economic Action Council (MTEN) and Cabinet to gradually reduce reliance on foreign labour.
He also noted that additional funding had been approved to upgrade ePPAx to support MTLM implementation.
Rafizi reiterated that his concerns were formally documented and rejected the suggestion that he had remained silent during his time in government. “If it is true that I agreed and did not object as claimed, then it would be better for R. Ramanan to obtain the Prime Minister’s approval to declassify the Cabinet minutes on FWCMS and Bestinet.”
“If that is done and it is proven that I did not speak up, it would shut me down completely, because the Madani government would be able to show that I only raised these issues after leaving office to push a narrative that I was disgruntled.”
He added that governance concerns he raised were consistently recorded in official discussions and correspondence, sometimes differing from other positions within government.
Rafizi also suggested that internal disagreements over his stance contributed to perceptions about his role within PKR and government, including political developments involving his position as party deputy president.
“From that point, I understood that the manoeuvring was not about PKR. It was about discomfort from certain parties who did not want me to refuse to comply with matters I disagreed with,” he said.
He said he eventually stepped down from his ministerial role, arguing that internal dissent alone was insufficient to safeguard governance principles.
“The FWCMS and Bestinet episode is only one of the issues I raised internally. It answers the accusation that I was silent in government, when in fact I could only speak through official documents that were not made public while I was in office,” he said.
“That responsibility continues outside government. The difference now is that I am no longer bound by official documents and the doctrine of collective responsibility that binds a minister.” - April 22, 2026