FORMER economy minister Datuk Seri Rafizi Ramli has said it is unfair to fault UMNO for the Madani government’s slow pace of reforms, noting he saw no resistance from UMNO ministers during his cabinet tenure.
Instead, he argued UMNO is focused on regaining support from urban Malays, non-Malays, and educated voters, making it open to popular reforms.
“Actually… anything that is popular for these constituents that (UMNO) wants to focus on, UMNO is okay. I didn’t see UMNO having any issues (with reforms).
“I don’t really remember UMNO protesting anything, and some of the things I brought (as economy minister) were radical.
“Only that Prime Minister Datuk Seri Anwar Ibrahim might say if he were here, ‘Of course, they didn’t protest in front of you, they protested behind you’,” the Pandan MP said.
Rafizi described UMNO as experienced and competent but facing a tough battle against Perikatan Nasional for Malay votes, compounded by DAP’s presence in government.
“UMNO is in the game for power, from before until now, and for that matter, (the same can be said of) any political party.
“But UMNO has been (in power) for longer, so it knows the dynamics of power better,” he added.
He praised senior UMNO ministers like Datuk Seri Mohamad Hasan, Datuk Seri Khaled Nordin, and Datuk Seri Azalina Othman for their capability.
“I think that ministers from UMNO such as Mohamad, Khaled, and Azalina, to be fair, know how to do their job – whether what they do is business as usual or something new, but you can tell that they are in control because of their experience, having been ministers for a long time.
“It’s just a question of whether they want to push certain new things or not,” he further added.
However, he criticised some PKR ministers, including Fadhlina Sidek, Datuk Seri Zaliha Mustafa, and Fahmi Fadzil, for lacking ideas, command, and problem-solving skills. — Aug 23, 2025
Main photo credit: Bernama
