Speaking to FMT, Nik Nazmi said following his defeats at the party elections, he felt that there were others who were eligible to succeed him as minister of natural resources and environmental sustainability.

“For me, those who won in the party polls should be given a spot in the Cabinet,” he said.

Nik Nazmi said his decision to step down made it “easier” for Prime Minister Anwar Ibrahim, who is also the PKR president, in an apparent reference to the tricky situation of a former party leader being retained as a minister.

Arthur Joseph Kurup, head of Parti Bersatu Rakyat Sabah (PBRS), was subsequently named as Nik Nazmi’s successor in a Cabinet reshuffle in December, following Nik Nazmi’s resignation and that of Rafizi Ramli, the economy minister, who failed to be re-elected as PKR deputy president.

Nik Nazmi said he could have chosen to hold on to his post but decided against it, believing that he could still serve the people without being part of the government.

He is now fully focused on serving his constituents in Setiawangsa, which he has been representing since 2018. “I do have more time to do so compared to when I was a minister or vice-president.”

Nik Nazmi also has his own podcast where he discusses various issues, including education, finance and the environment. “I’m not sitting idle now that I hold no posts in the government.”

When asked if he was open to being reappointed a minister or given a post in the party, Nik Nazmi said: “Politics is not about that (posts), but ushering in changes and representing the people.”