Rafizi said he welcomed the interest shown by PKR vice-president Nurul Izzah Anwar and former secretary-general Saifuddin Nasution Ismail in contesting the deputy president’s post.
He reiterated that he had always believed it was the right of every party member to contest the party polls, saying it was important for PKR to celebrate democracy by allowing such contests.
“Therefore, I welcome contests for the PKR deputy presidency in this year’s party elections. I will join the other candidates in using this platform to strengthen the party,” he said in a statement.
Rafizi also said it was a win-win decision for him, as if he was elected, he would be able to continue playing his role as PKR deputy president as well as the economy minister in the government.
“If I’m not elected, I can return to being a grassroots leader campaigning intensely on the ground,” he added.
The Pandan MP also revealed that he had met PKR president Anwar Ibrahim and Saifuddin during his recent leave of absence, twice in the case of the former.
Rafizi said he informed Anwar that he was ready to not defend his party post and to leave the Cabinet to focus on grassroots work. He said he conveyed the same views when he met Saifuddin.
He said he was concerned by the weakness in PKR’s grassroots campaigning, as the party seemed to be on the defensive instead of the offensive like when it was in the opposition.
Rafizi said this was one of his strengths as a politician, and a key area to address ahead of the next general election (GE16), which is due in about two years.
“My position as a minister caused me to be tied to the administration’s consensus, making it hard for me to speak up freely and aggressively ahead of GE16.
“Both of them said that there was a need for me to contest the deputy president’s post and remain in the Cabinet. I told them I would consider their views in making my final decision,” said Rafizi.
Rafizi was elected as PKR deputy president during the 2022 party elections, defeating Saifuddin with a landslide majority of 16,668 votes.
Numerous top and divisional leaders have however stated their support for Nurul Izzah to contest the deputy president’s post, while a handful have called for Saifuddin to vie for the position again.
There were rumours swirling last week that Rafizi had resigned as economy minister after the PKR divisional polls, which saw the defeat of several bigwigs aligned with him.
Rafizi had also taken a leave of absence, although Anwar played this down as a non-issue.
Nurul Izzah was appointed as a PKR vice-president in 2022 after opting not to contest the central leadership elections that year. She lost her Permatang Pauh parliamentary seat in the 2022 general election to PAS’s Fawwaz Jan.
Saifuddin meanwhile is currently the Pakatan Harapan secretary-general but holds no party position after being replaced as PKR secretary-general by Fuziah Salleh last year.