IN a candid podcast episode, former minister Datuk Seri Rafizi Ramli has addressed former PKR vice-president Nik Nazmi Nik Ahmad’s controversy, denounced targeted “gutter politics”, and drawn parallels to PKR’s history of political smears.
He also defended strict boundaries between personal life and governance.
In the Yang Berhenti Menteri (YBM) podcast on Friday (Oct 23) night, Rafizi strongly opposed smear campaigns, describing the incident involving Nik Nazmi as a targeted covert operation.
He revealed that Nik Nazmi was covertly tracked for months using a hidden GPS device under his vehicle, and the leaking of CCTV footage was intentionally coordinated by online actors to trigger public outrage.
“The truth is that gutter politics can exist in the same space where it has happened… The truth is indeed it was targeted. He was tracked for months and months. The CCTV was leaked. It was a targeted job.”
“The fact that he has been secretly tracked, and the fact that the CCTV was leaked as early as that evening – CCTV cannot be leaked, and those who have the power to seize CCTV, let alone leak it, are usually just the authorities,” he said.
Drawing on his decades in politics, Rafizi noted that PKR consistently faced similar attacks – ranging from party leader Datuk Seri Anwar Ibrahim’s court trials to leaked video scandals involving senior leaders.
He emphasised that smear tactics are an established tool used against political figures.
“This isn’t my first time going through it… If in PKR, it happened multiple times. I spent two decades fighting this gutter politics.”
“Every party in Malaysia has gone through the era of gutter politics – PKR the most, with videos, this and that. UMNO went through it too… Mat Sabu in 1995 went through it – your arrests, you weren’t even born yet.”
However, he maintains a strict boundary between a politician’s public duties and private affairs.
He considers personal issues between an individual and God, asserting that he would never use private leaks or explicit footage against opponents. But when private conduct fails public expectations, public scrutiny and party action become unavoidable.
He highlighted that Nik Nazmi took immediate accountability by publicly apologising to his family, while Bersama swiftly suspended him for three months without making excuses.
“Nik Nazmi immediately apologised and issued a statement… And second, the fact is the party immediately decided to rest him for three months… Bersama didn’t give excuses or anything, and action was taken.” — Oct 24, 2026
