Rafizi did not vacate office during leave, says former aide
The photo shared by Najib Bakar showed Rafizi Ramli's office being tidied up for a Hari Raya Aidilfitri celebration, and not being emptied as claimed. (Facebook pic)
PETALING JAYA : Rafizi Ramli did not vacate his office during his recent leave of absence, said a former special officer to the economy minister.
Najib Bakar, who is contesting in the PKR central election today, added that Rafizi never submitted any resignation letter to Prime Minister Anwar Ibrahim.
'I can confirm that Rafizi's office was never vacated while he was on leave,' he said in a Facebook post today.
'Perhaps someone gave false information to others. Rafizi (also) never handed in a resignation letter (as minister or PKR deputy president) to Anwar.'
Najib Bakar.
The claims arose after Nurul Izzah Anwar alleged that Rafizi's supposed resignation and the vacant office prompted her to contest for the deputy president post.
She revealed in a final campaign message to PKR delegates on Facebook that while attending a conference in India, she learned that Rafizi had taken a leave of absence as economy minister and also cleared out his office in Putrajaya.
She claimed the PKR leadership had also been informed about a letter of resignation that Rafizi had already prepared, pertaining to his Cabinet post.
According to Nurul Izzah, this sparked concerns that Rafizi may decide not to defend his PKR deputy president's post, which then led to unease over a potential leadership vacuum.
She claimed these events followed a series of electoral defeats at the branch level, involving leaders aligned with Rafizi and other grassroots figures.
Responding to the allegations, Najib also shared photos that showed Rafizi's office at the economy ministry being tidied up for a Hari Raya Aidilfitri celebration, not emptied.
'On April 27, several Special Branch police officers visited the ministry's building to verify whether Rafizi's office had indeed been cleared.
'I'm not sure from where did they get their information. Probably some 'unnamed source'.
'The truth is, yes, the minister's office was tidied up, but only to prepare for the Raya celebration on April 28,' Najib clarified in another Facebook post.
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