May 30, 2025
PETALING JAYA – Names are being bandied around to replace Datuk Seri Rafizi Ramli and Nik Nazmi Nik Ahmad while the Cabinet reshuffle, which was initially expected to take place at the end of the year, could be brought forward as soon as July.
Aside from the resignations of the two PKR ministers, there will be another vacancy when Investment, Trade and Industry Minister (Miti) Tengku Datuk Seri Zafrul Tengku Abdul Aziz’s second term as senator ends in December.
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Should Prime Minister Datuk Seri Anwar Ibrahim accept the resignations of both Rafizi and Nik Nazmi, there will be vacancies in the Economy as well as the Natural Resources and Environmental Sustainability ministries.
Sources in the government and the party believed the reshuffle could happen in July after the ministers’ leave period ends.
Meanwhile, the Dewan Rakyat will begin its meeting on July 21.
The upcoming Parliament meeting is crucial because the 13th Malaysia Plan, spearheaded by the Economy Ministry, is expected to be tabled in the august House on July 31.
PKR vice-president and Selangor Mentri Besar Datuk Seri Amirudin Shari is one of those bandied to fill one of the positions.
A source said that if Amirudin ascends to a federal post, that would leave the Mentri Besar post vacant.
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“The question is will Tengku Zafrul move to Selangor on a PKR ticket or will another sitting state representative take over?
“However, the Tengku Zafrul scenario may be less likely although talk has been swirling for some time and he is not even a PKR member yet.
“So the second scenario of an existing state rep taking over is more likely,” added the source.
“Selangor is a PKR bastion and although Amirudin is wanted in the Federal Government, the stakes are high to move him to Putrajaya from Selangor.”
If Amirudin moves to the Federal Government, talk is that Seri Setia assemblyman Dr Fahmi Ngah may replace Amirudin and that PKR vice-president Datuk Seri R. Ramanan, who is deputy Entrepreneur Development and Cooperatives minister, will be promoted to a full minister.
“Ramanan has been gaining prominence in the party lately and it looks very much like a promotion could come for him soon,” said a party insider.
With this move, Anwar’s political secretary Muhammad Kamil Abdul Munim is tipped to fill a deputy minister’s post.
He is also the newly minted PKR youth chief.
PKR secretary-general and Domestic Trade and Cost of Living deputy minister Dr Fuziah Salleh’s name has also been bandied for a promotion.
Earlier, talk has been swirling that former health minister Khairy Jamaluddin, who was sacked from Umno in 2023, could be returning to the Cabinet and be appointed a senator.
As Khairy is currently without a party, he could be brought in as a technocrat minister.
Khairy, however, downplayed the talk during a forum yesterday, where he said he was happy with what he was currently doing and has not thought of returning to politics for at least until the end of the year.
“I can only say that I have a lot of unfinished projects which have to be managed,” he said.
There is also talk of Umno vice-president Datuk Seri Johari Abdul Ghani, who is also the Plantation and Commodities Minister, taking over either the Economy or Miti portfolios if a reshuffle happens.
Johari, who was finance minister II in Datuk Seri Najib Razak’s government, also dismissed talk that he would be replacing Rafizi.
He added that this was solely under PKR’s purview.
“I do not want to get involved in PKR’s matters,” he reportedly said.
On Wednesday, both Rafizi and Nik Nazmi submitted their resignations from the Cabinet after losing in the PKR polls.
Rafizi failed to defend his position as party deputy president, losing to Nurul Izzah Anwar.
Nik Nazmi also failed to retain his vice-president’s post.