PUTRAJAYA: Malaysia’s Second Finance Minister Amir Hamzah Azizan will take on the duties and functions of the Economy Minister, a month after Rafizi Ramli resigned from the position following his defeat in a party election.
The Cabinet made the decision in a meeting on Wednesday (Jun 25), said its secretary Shamsul Azri Abu Bakar in a statement on Friday.
Amir Hamzah’s “primary responsibility” is to review and restructure the contents of the 13th Malaysia Plan, which is scheduled to be tabled in Parliament on Jul 31, said Shamsul Azri, who is also chief secretary to the government.
Amir Hamzah will take into account additional information submitted by other ministries, as well as the sentiments of the Cabinet, he said.
The 13th Malaysia Plan is a roadmap to tackle global shifts and domestic challenges and is set to be implemented from 2026 to 2030.
Responding on Friday to Shamsul Azri’s statement, former Economy Minister Rafizi said the last-minute decision to restructure the plan has raised concern among civil servants, market analysts monitoring national policy and the public.
He questioned if the restructuring would be rushed and whether it would bypass the consultative process with stakeholders and experts, news outlet Malay Mail reported.
He said politicising the plan would be “a grave injustice to (civil servants) who have worked tirelessly — often for over 12 hours a day — over the past year”.
