Economy Minister Rafizi Ramli shocked Malaysians today after he announced he has officially quit from his position after losing his PKR deputy presidency seat to Nurul Izzah.
In light of his sudden resignation, we will take a look at his most notable achievements and stumbles during his nearly three-year tenure as Economy Minister.
To start things off, let’s first take a look at his top 5 achievements:
1. Launched the MADANI Economy Framework
On July 27, 2023, Rafizi introduced the MADANI Economy Framework, which aimed to restructure Malaysia’s economy to be more inclusive, sustainable, and competitive.
The framework outlines seven key targets, including positioning Malaysia among the top 30 global economies and top 25 in the Human Development Index.
2. Introduced of PADU for targeted subsidies
To ensure that government subsidies were being distributed to those who truly needed it, Rafizi introduced the Malaysia’s Central Database Hub (PADU), a centralized socio-economic database designed to facilitate targeted subsidy distribution which was officially unveiled to the public in May 2024.
3. Drove the advancement of digital economy & data integration
Following the official launch of PADU, Rafizi oversaw the collection of integrated data from various federal and state agencies, which helped to enhance policy-making capabilities.
When addressing public criticism about the hasty implementation and inefficiencies of PADU, Rafizi empahsised that it wasn’t just another “big data collection exercise”, but rather a foundational tool for digital governance.
“Because we aspire to put digital and tech as our growth engine, there are a lot of things that we have to do on the data front…we cannot wait for everything to be perfect…we have to start somewhere,” he told The Edge Malaysia.
4. Increased investor confidence
During Rafizi’s tenure as Economy Minister, Malaysia’s economy saw an impressive growth of 5.9% in the second quarter of 2024, surpassing expectations and reflecting increased investor confidence, which Rafizi attributed to the government’s economic policies and stability.
5. Promoted transparency & evidence-based policies
As a huge advocate of transparency and data-driven governance, Rafizi has long been known for his efforts in championing evidence-based policy-making to ensure effective and accountable governance, as seen through his addressing of security concerns surrounding PADU registrations.
However, like any other politicians, Rafizi also had his share of missteps during his time in office, with the 5 most notable instances listed below:
1. ‘Insensitive’ remarks about rising living costs
In December 2022, Rafizi triggered public backlash when he claimed that Malaysians’ spending habits were part of the reason why the cost of living was soaring.
His remark left many feeling upset, with Malaysians believing that he was extremely out of touch with the struggles they face on a daily basis.
2. Unclear communication over PADU implementation
Given the fact that PADU was a relatively new initiative, Malaysians were unsure over how to register at its database, which weren’t helped by Rafizi’s “overly technical” explanation.
Things came to a boiling point when Rafizi released a video which showed him telling Malaysians in a rather exasperated tone: “I am tired, it is up to you guys. If you want to register just register, if not it is up to you on how you want to celebrate Raya.”
Needless to say, Rafizi’s tone was condemned by netizens, with some accusing him of “threatening” them if they didn’t register for PADU in time.
3. Controversy over RON95 rationalisation
Last year, Rafizi announced that the government had plans to roll back petrol subsidies in mid-2025, a move he called “painful but necessary” in order to boost the country’s fiscal health.
However, it soon faced fierce pushback from the public, with critics arguing that the policy was implemented without adequate stakeholder engagement.
4. Failure to calm fears over PADU data privacy breaches
Not long after PADU was launched, online forum Lowyat.net claimed that it had been hacked by a group called R00TK1T and that more than 27TB worth of data from its servers were stolen.
In response, Rafizi called the online forum for spreading unfounded fears and wrote sarcastically in an X post: “Thanks Lowyat.net for not fact checking first that Padu is a sub-unit of LPPKN. The least you could (have done) is to message Padu (on X) to confirm (the allegation) before happily spreading misinformation.”
But despite his response, public distrust regarding PADU still exists to date.
5. Inconsistencies in RON95 subsidy policy
As mentioned previously, Rafizi was supposed to be at the helm of overseeing the rationalisation of RON95 subsidies, which would see the top 15% income group being excluded.
However, on May 19, 2025, Rafizi announced that the rationalisation plan was no longer under his purview and has since been handed over to the Ministry of Finance (MoF), raising questions about the government’s consistency in implementing policies.
What do you think of Rafizi’s performance as Economy Minister so far? Share with us in the comments!
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