Taking to Twitter, the former Batu MP said it was odd that someone who talked endlessly about transparency and openness was now saying it was perfectly alright for discussions on major decisions to only involve a selected group of people.

“Is this a democratic party or a secret society?,” Tian Chua asked in his tweet.

He also asked if Rafizi’s remarks were made by the same person who had criticised the prime minister for making decisions on Cabinet appointments without consulting the coalition’s top leadership.

Rafizi was reported as saying that the matter of vacating a parliamentary seat for the party’s president-elect Anwar Ibrahim to contest was discussed with party president Dr Wan Azizah Wan Ismail and several other leaders.

He said he was among the leaders who had participated in the discussions, adding that the talks only involved individuals close to Anwar in terms of party operations and campaigns.

“I won’t mention anything involving Anwar and Wan Azizah without their consent.

“Just that important decisions are not being discussed with everyone, only with several people among us,” he said when met by reporters at the 20 years of Reform Tour programme at Kompleks Dagangan Indera Mahkota in Kuantan last night.

Tian Chua previously took Rafizi to task for announcing that a parliamentary seat would be vacated next week to pave the way for Anwar to contest and return as an MP.

Tian Chua had questioned the move, claiming it was made without the knowledge of the party leadership.

However, Rafizi said it was up to Tian Chua what he wished to say about the matter.

“I did not read his statement, but that is his right. I understand. Maybe he feels out of place because he was not involved in the process,” Rafizi was reported as saying.