Analysing Rafizi

 

Not many people are aware of how Rafizi Ramli operates politically. Over time, the young man many, including myself, once admired as a potential future Prime Minister of Malaysia has, to me, begun to reveal himself as a disruptive political actor rather than a constructive one. 

Instead of functioning as a team player, he appears prone to falling out with his own leadership whenever outcomes do not align with his expectations.

I am uncertain whether this behaviour is rooted in personality or political temperament, but when rigid thinking, relentless fixation on specific agendas, and highly volatile responses dominate a leader’s conduct, the consequences can be deeply disruptive to governance and national cohesion, the very thing Rafizi claims to champion, or worse, if he is merely trying to project himself to be one especially when, in a fragile political environment, such traits risk undermining reform efforts rather than strengthening them.

From my own professional experiences, I have encountered individuals who struggle with extreme inflexibility and an inability to tolerate deviation from their own perceptions. In practical leadership and policy-making, circumstances often require strategic manoeuvring—sometimes even compromise—to avoid unnecessary conflict and to preserve broader objectives. 

When this adaptability is absent, even minor inconsistencies can become flashpoints for prolonged and unproductive confrontation, often pursued with disproportionate intensity. This appears to be the case now with Rafizi for the past few months.

I have worked with highly intelligent individuals who, despite their capabilities, found it difficult to function effectively in team settings once disagreements escalated. Intelligence alone does not guarantee leadership suitability; emotional regulation, restraint, and the ability to repair working relationships are equally critical—especially in coalition politics, where consensus and trust are indispensable.

A Potential Candidate for Premiership?

To many Malaysians, myself included, Rafizi was once seen as a potential candidate for the premiership. Of course, our hopes were on his being coached by Anwar, who is already approaching his 80s, but this does not seem to be possible even though I believe Anwar was hopeful that he could groom a younger person to take over. Rafizi was also a reciipient of the title Datuk Seri, a title that would not have been possible without the recommendation of his own party president. 

Even though he was made the Economy minister, I did not see much reform being brought about by Rafizi; instead, he was spending time on controlling inflation, a job that was already well taken care of by the Minister of Domestic Trade and Cost of Living (KPDK), the late Datuk Seri Salahuddin Ayub and his deputy Datuk Dr Fuziah Salleh. 

For an economy minister, I would have expected Rafizi to carry out meetings with the various business organisations such as the Small and Medium Enterprises Association of Malaysia (SAMENTA) or SME Association of Malaysia (SME Malaysia) to see how the government can assist the industries to boost the Gross Domestic Products (GDP). Until the day he stepped down, I do not recall reading about any meaningful meetings with these organisations. 

In recent weeks and months, I have paid closer attention to Rafizi's conduct, his rhetoric, and the manner in which he responds to disagreement. What I observe raises serious concerns about his readiness for national leadership.

His fallout from PKR became obvious in recent weeks, which stemmed from the contest between him and Nurul Izzah Anwar. What appeared as an attempt to sideline him has become obvious now that the party may have felt the rumblings from within, and to avoid another major tussle between the president and the deputy president, similar to that of the Sheraton Move, a battle had to be staged out to outst him first. 

While it appears that Anwar still have a softspot for Rafizi to allow him to continue with his tirades, many of PKR's grassroots have started urging the leadership to sack Rafizi. Rafizi, on the other hand, appears to be hoping Anwar would wield the axe, giving an opportunity to draw public sympathy. Usually, people who is no longer aligned to the party’s struggles would resign from all party posts immediately; not doing so simply suggests that something is up his sleeves.

Is Rafizi's actions signs of a Bipolar Personality?

I noticed in one of the posts by a netizen recently on Rafizi’s Facebook account, someone calls him out as a bipolar personality. Before reading it, I had asked whether he could be categorised as someone with Obsessive-Compulsive Disorder (OCD), autistic or even bipolar.  

I asked for the opinion from a colleague of his in PKR independently of the above observations which category of personality disoder Rafizi may be suffering from, and the answer came back: "Bipolar." 

I cannot and do not claim to diagnose his behaviour, nor is it my intention to engage in any character assassination. If he is bipolar, and he is aware of it, he should seek for advice from the experts. 

However, my concern is far more practical: that the current national focus on reform and stability could be derailed by a leadership style driven by personal grievance and persistent confrontation, leading to more people being hurt in the process. Anwar and the leadership should prioritise reforms, rather than expending political capital debating or attempting to reason with actors whose behaviour suggests an unwillingness to engage in good‑faith, rational discourse. 

Over the past few years, I have had personal and professional interactions with individuals living with bipolar disorder, autism (including those who are highly functional), and Obsessive‑Compulsive Disorder (OCD). It is never easy to deal with people with these disorders, as they are not open to reason. So far, I have only built a good and long-term relationship with one of them, but over the years, he explained to me that his OCD is under control, perhaps through some form of self-intervention. You will not be able to tell that he has OCD.

In my personal capacity, I had on a number of occasions encouraged Rafizi to return to active politics, but as matters stand today, at least to me, he is no longer a candidate for premiership. In fact, I fear that entrusting the nation’s leadership to someone who appears driven by relentless personal vendettas would place the country at serious risk.

I am always suspicious of people who can continue putting on a smile even in the most difficult situations. The Mr Smileys that we see are not exactly the most friendly people. 

To me, this is no difference to the joker, a cast in The Dark Knight. This is the reason why, despite my focus on doing research on anti-corruption as part of my doctoral programme, I chose not to participate in the Tangkap Azam Baki rally. Rather than being an anti-corruption drive, I sensed there’s a rat in the woodwork.

Word of Advice

If I may put it humbly to many of my friends in the political arena - people like Tian Chua and Wong Chen - please reconsider your positions. No matter how good you may be in the past, when you rally behind a wrong person, your poltical career may also end, especially when people see you as a bane to your own party's struggles, which you once subscribed to, which we were also hopeful of seeing the real reforms.

Instead, we like to see you putting your views in a constructive manner. Even Anwar has asked for constructive criticisms, not one that publicly depicting him as a protector of the corrupt. 

Aligning themselves with Rafizi may derail many years of their own political struggles. A good poltiician like Baru Bian, for example, may still be a personal friend where I am concerned, but he lost his political credibility when he was seen with Azmin Ali during the Sheraton Move; however, for the public, he is still seen as those who defected, causing the collapse of the PH government elected by the people in 2018. 

I may be more than willing to accept his explanation a couple of years later, when I met his wife who told me that Baru was not with Azmin. If you care to reflect over it again - Baru Bian like Tian did not join Azmin’s Bersatu. However, because the call for Reformasi is still very strong, and people want to see reforms to this nation, people still find it hard to accept those whom they thought had betrayed their call for reforms.

The Battle Cry against the Real Corrupt

Anwar's major trump card is his anti-corruption drive, which is also aligned to Sultan Ibrahim the King of Malaysia. Ordinary Malaysians can recognise that, despite the blemishes and controversies surrounding his tenure, Azam Baki has overseen a period in which long‑awaited developments against corrupt political leaders and their cronies have finally begun to materialise. 

For the first time in many years, the nation has witnessed the seizure of millions of ringgit in illicitly acquired wealth linked to former leaders. At the very least, substantial assets are now under active investigation through Mutual Legal Assistance arrangements with jurisdictions such as the United Kingdom and Switzerland.

Personally, I had hoped that the no-nonsense Tan Sri Ayob Khan, the current Deputy Inspector‑General of Police, might be appointed to the position as chief commissioner. Nevertheless, His Majesty the Yang di‑Pertuan Agong, in his wisdom, has appointed a former High Court judge Datuk Seri Abdul Halim Aman to lead the Malaysian Anti‑Corruption Commission (MACC). 

I am confident that Malaysians remain hopeful that, under this new leadership, the MACC will continue to demonstrate even greater courage, independence, and resolve in the fight against corruption. Yet for many of us, it is far easier to fixate on the speck in Azam Baki’s eye than to acknowledge the log standing plainly before our own. Too often, we scrutinise imperfections in individuals while overlooking the deeper, systemic failures that corruption has embedded within our own society.

Rafizi himself may face corrupt cases if his RM2 billion approval process did not follow the standard procedures meant to curb abuses of power. We will have to watch this development with our fingers crossed, now that Azam Baki is no longer the MACC chief. Would Abdul Halim be the next Azam Baki to be the next target? 

The fight against corruption is neither simple nor swift, as corruption has become deeply entrenched and widespread over many decades. Meaningful progress will require not only institutional strength and fearless leadership, but also sustained political will and public support.

Rafizi's Speech: What does it amount to?

What was supposed to be an Anti-Azam Baki Rally suddenly took a different twist, because in my opinion, the rally still carried on, despite Agong's announcement that Abdul Halim had been appointed to replace Azam Baki, making it very obvious now that Azam Baki was not the main target of the rally. There was something else apart from that. 

This is where Rafizi said all quarters, who could never sit down together or meet eye-to-eye, will be attending. Their main target is Anwar Ibrahim, whose anti-corruption drive has long been waited for by the nation, but feared the most by those who are the main targets. 

Even his speech clearly is a tell-tale sign. Let's analyse it point-by-point: 

• "DAP leadership may have "subcontracted" its youth wing to ensure that the party is represented at the rally against Azam Baki."

His intention was to weaken the strongest party within Pakatan Harapan, with the hope of disintegrating the coalition. However, Rafizi's comments are also uncalled for, especially when he openly invited everyone, and DAP being a party subscribes to democracy, its leaders cannot stop the Youth Wing from attending the rally. 

I believe by now, the DAP Youth would be pissed off with Rafizi. If they are smart, they will not engage with a tongue lashing with Rafizi, as he would almost certainly rebut, creating more sparks that could disrupt the PH reforms plan. Instead, they should tell the public that they were contracted by Rafizi. Rafizi may think his remarks are calculated, but I think he is distancing himself from people who would otherwise support him, and many of us who are observing would think that this man is simply being mean and care for his own political agenda, or maybe venting his personal vendetta. 

Instead, I would suggest that DAP Youth now supports the new MACC chief commissioner and see to it that he continues on with the investigations initiated by Azam Baki, against a former prime minister until all the illicitly gained wealth is seized. Abdul Halim should not call off the investigation into the approval process that appeared to be rushed through for the Malaysia–ARM Strategic Semiconductor Agreement. An agreement in the quantum of RM2 billion would normally have to go through a thoroguh vetting process before a minister can sign it. 

Abdul Halim has to realise that, what Azam has left behind, is a legacy in his service with the MACC, with the number of high profile cases that have ended up with seizure of properties in the millions, if not billions. The new honcho must have the capability to defend the MACC's seizure of these properties in the even that the appeals appear in court. 

• "Transport Minister Anthony Loke and Digital Minister Gobind Singh Deo will find it challenging to make public statements on the matter."

It is obvious why Rafizi calls out these two names instead of other names of leaders in political parties such as Gabungan Parti Sarawak (GPS). He knows that, as long as both Anthony and Gobind are with Anwar, the cabinet which Rafizi had abandoned, will remain in tact, and carry on with the reforms. What is obvious to me is the desire to see the implosion within the coalition that is leading the unity government so that Anwar is seen as a failure. For many of us, if Anwar fails, everything may go back to square one. 

If that is what Rafizi wants to see, many people who can see through his political agenda, will no longer hold him in high esteem. The conclusion is very simple: If Rafizi cannot work with the existing unity government, he should not try to destroy all the hard work of others like Hannah Yeoh and Fadillah Yusof, who want to see the country coming together again.

in fact, both Anthony and Gobind should speak out against Rafizi for disrupting the efforts that Anwar, in his remaining years of his natural life, are trying very hard to bring the nation back again on the right track. They can of course, encourage him to join force in the fight against corruption especially since Azam is no longer the chief commissioner, but I doubt someone as fixated as Rafizi would agree. 

• Rafizi also spoke about Nurul Izzah Anwar, expressing sympathy for his successor as the current PKR deputy president.

As if Nurul Izzah was suddenly dragged in, Rafizi's speech certainly paints a picture of one who is a sore loser. He may have been ousted by PKR's internal politics, but they had allowed such a character to remain like Azmin Ali, the impact of his withdrawal later as a sitting Deputy President, could have been worse for PKR. 

There is really no reason for Nurul Izzah to take comfort in Rafizi's sympathy. Why, in the first place did Rafizi come out with the idea that he had to express his sympathy, when he himself was the loser in his own party contest election? 

Is he trying to play on Nurul Izzah's emotions or is Rafizi now hoping for peole's sympathy that he had lost his deputy presidency? For most people, internal party affairs did not matter to them anyway. In the first place, when Rafizi was voted as Deputy President, Nurul was probably very much behind him, and even Datuk Seri Saifuddin Nasution Ismail was willing to step down to allow Rafizi to rise. Sometimes, I wonder what more does Rafizi want!