In friendly fire, Umno’s Puad Zarkashi blames Cabinet reshuffle rumours on ministers like PKR’s Rafizi

KUALA LUMPUR, May 31 — Umno supreme council member Datuk Seri Puad Zarkashi singled out Economy Minister Rafizi Ramli for criticism today, accusing the latter of underperformance that has forced the Anwar administration to fend off rumours of a Cabinet reshuffle.

Puad asked what practical solutions the PKR deputy president has developed to improve the country’s economy, claiming the latter has not offered up anything more effective that the 1Malaysia People’s Aid (BR1M) from the time of the Najib administration.

“Is Rafizi not prepared to be a minister? That’s the problem when one has so many formulas before becoming a minister. When you become a minister, you can’t be ordinary. You have to be amazing.

“Don’t let the people say ‘Rafizi goes down, ringgit goes up’. It seems that is the reason for the story that there will be a Cabinet reshuffle. The minister has to be extraordinary to defend the unity government,” he said in a statement on Facebook today.

Puad’s remarks follow a rumoured Cabinet reshuffle after the state elections in Selangor, Negeri Sembilan, Penang, Kelantan, Terengganu and Kedah within months.

Last week, Prime Minister Datuk Seri Anwar Ibrahim dismissed the rumour by pointedly saying those with ideas for a reshuffle could “write to me, I will consider if you have good suggestions.”

Earlier today, Rafizi repeated Bank Negara Malaysia’s explanation for the ringgit’s depreciation against the dollar, saying this was due to investors’ flight to cash — primarily the greenback — as a safe haven pending the resolution of the US debt ceiling impasse.