Rafizi outburst: A great disappointment

In fact, when he came to Ipoh to appeal for donations for his defence, I donated RM50,000. He has been appealing for donations for a long time and many people have donated. He must have collected a few million ringgit. Some people may now be saying that he should tell us how he has spent the money, or they will complain about it in the same way he is complaining about Mahathir – no consultation, simply bulldozing, etc.

Koon Yew Yin, Free Malaysia Today

Rafizi Ramli blew his top after Prime Minister Dr Mahathir Mohamad appointed Lim Guan Eng as finance minister, Mat Sabu as defence minister and Muhyiddin Yassin as home minister without consultation with PKR de facto leader Anwar Ibrahim, according to his version.

I have no problem with him feeling disappointed or even angry. It is okay. But as a politician, he should know better.

He should keep his emotions and response on the prime minister’s announcement to himself and his colleagues. After all, he is not the Ibrahim Ali or Jamal Yunos-type who is always looking for publicity or going on an ego trip or trying to score cheap points.

Once he puts his views on social media, he must expect the public to put his position under the microscope and to question his claim and the motives behind it.

Why did Rafazi blow his top?

In public feedback over the internet and WhatsApp, there must now be tens of thousands of responses. I estimate that at least 90% of the responses that I have read have criticised Rafizi and his sidekick, MP Wong Chen; questioned their political maturity; expressed disappointment or said that they must have some selfish motives, such as wanting to become the finance minister, etc.

One of my friends, Chew Soo Ho, a retired High Court judge, wrote to me the following: 

“I thought the appointment of the three ministers was with the blessing of Anwar. Rafizi should check before making a public statement. Further, appointment of ministers is the prerogative of the PM; Rafizi has no locus standi to say that the appointments were not finalised when the PM has announced the appointments. It’s timely for Ambiga to tell Rafizi to stop it. Any grievance should be referred to his party and not taken publicly, particularly at this early and critical time.”

As for me, my disappointment is more personal. Until his outburst, I was so impressed with Rafizi’s speeches that I told my friends he would be the prime minister one day.

In fact, when he came to Ipoh to appeal for donations for his defence, I donated RM50,000. He has been appealing for donations for a long time and many people have donated. He must have collected a few million ringgit.

Some people may now be saying that he should tell us how he has spent the money, or they will complain about it in the same way he is complaining about Mahathir – no consultation, simply bulldozing, etc.

Mahathir: The game-changer, pre- and post-GE14

Let us all look at the larger picture. Without Mahathir, we could not have changed the “corrupt” BN government.

PKR and Pakatan Harapan would have continued being in the opposition and there would be no ministerial positions to fight over or any other political spoils to be shared out.

I cannot see anything wrong with the prime minister appointing the best three people in his judgment to the critical ministries he prioritised in the interest of the country.

Why rush to judge and complain about the “unhealthy attitude of Malaysians never to question authority” and to bracket Mahathir in the same company as ex-PM Najib Razak and his wife, Rosmah Mansor?

Mahathir has amply shown that he is a changed man who intends to spend his remaining years undoing the damage to the nation, including that which he himself was responsible for.

Let us work with him, not against him.

Koon Yew Yin is a retired civil engineer and one of the founders of IJM Corp Bhd and Gamuda Bhd.