INVESTMENT, Trade and Industry Minister Tengku Datuk Seri Zafrul Abdul Aziz has the moral obligation to give up his ministerial portfolio if he ever wishes to leave UMNO given that position was accorded to him as a UMNO member.
By not resigning, he contributed a ministerial position to PKR while UMNO lost a ministerial seat at least for the time being, according to veteran journalist and blogger Datuk A. Kadir Jasin.
“We shall wait and see whether Tengku Zafrul’s leap is just a puppet show or causes open war between UMNO and PKR,” he penned on his Facebook page.
“Will UMNO president Datuk Seri Ahmad Zahid Hamidi simply ask for his party’s cabinet quota to be maintained or will he object to PKR accepting Tengku Zafrul? Will he prioritise UMNO’s dignity or maintain the lifeline given to him by Prime Minister Datuk Seri Anwar Ibrahim?”
Delving farther, Kadir deemed Tengku Zafrul as “not a big catch for PKR” but on the contrary, would “ease UMNO’s burden” given the many stories of external interference regarding his entry into politics and his appointment as finance minister in 2020.
“He was appointed a senator and finance minister during the tenure of backdoor Tan Sri Muhyiddin Yassin’s government but his political adventure was never brilliant,” recounted the national journalism laureate.
‘A job hopper’
“He lost the 15th General Election in 2022 to Dr Dzulkefly Ahmad (PH-Amanah) but won a seat in the UMNO Supreme Council in 2023.”
This led to the political critic in Kadir taking a swipe as Tengku Zafrul for contending that “his image is also not as brilliant in the corporate world”.
“He is known as a job-hopper. His curriculum vitae since 1996 shows that he has changed jobs and positions 14 times. This means that he has not spent more than two years in each position,” revealed Kadir.
“As a financial specialist, Tengku Zafrul must have made mathematical calculations and statistical analysis on his chances of remaining in UMNO and moving to PKR.”
With his senatorship expiring end-2025, Kadir nevertheless described as “a slap in the face” foe Tengku Zafrul the very fact that he was “demoted” to be a MITI minister when his ambition has been to retain his finance minister portfolio in the Madani government.
“Although the one who took over the position of Finance Minister was Anwar himself, Tengku Zafrul knows that Anwar is not an economist or financial expert,” Kadir noted.
“But it’s nevertheless painful when Datuk Seri Amir Hamzah Azizan, a technocrat like him, is appointed as the Second Finance Minister”.
Hidden agenda
Reviewing the various wild predictions and conspiracy theories surrounding Tengku Zafrul’s actions, Kadir said some had commented that he (Tengku Zafrul) is less confident of UMNO’s leadership or it could be that Anwar has promised something better.
“As a result, speculation arose that a Selangor Legislative Assembly by-election could be orchestrated to allow him to win easily and subsequently be appointed as Menteri Besar,” shared the former group editor-in-chief of mainstream New Straits Times.
“This has caused several quarters in PKR, including the current Menteri Besar Datuk Seri Amirudin Shari to feel the heat although he had eventually denied such speculation.
“Moreover, the very fact that Tengku Zafrul chose to bid farewell to UMNO and offer himself to PKR occurred almost simultaneously with the Cabinet resignations of former PKR deputy president Datuk Seri Rafizi Ramli and ex-vice president Nik Nazmi Nik Ahmad has caused many to assume there’s hidden agenda in the pipeline.”
At the end of the day, Kadir regarded Tengku Zafrul’s actions have somehow brought to light the practice of party hopping that the Madani government has been being trying hard to curtail.
“Not to mention when it involves the PM’s own party and that of the Deputy PM – one between the teacher and the pupil. We shall wait for the next chapter to unfold,” added Kadir. – June 3, 2025
