Scarce commodity: Malaysia produces only two ministers with integrity, self-righteousness?
'THE second minister in Malaysian history to resign voluntarily. Past ministers never resign even when tainted with corruption and scandals of all sorts! He and Rafizi have a rare value which is lacking in today's materialistic world honour!'
Such thought-provoking comment was penned by a netizen on a NST Online Facebook post of former PKR vice-president Nik Nazmi Nik Ahmad leaving his office soon after his resignation yesterday (May 28) as the natural resources and environmental sustainability minister.
The Setiawangsa MP's move marked the second resignation of the day after former PKR deputy president Datuk Seri Rafizi Ramli had earlier stepped down as economy minister on grounds that he no longer has the party's mandate to translate its agenda into government programmes.
Stating that he was well-aware his party position was a key factor in his cabinet appointment, Nik Nazmi whose resignation will take effect on July 4 will start clearing his leave starting today (May 29) until July 3.
A search by FocusM (stand to be corrected) of ministers who had resigned in recent times pointed to former health minister Datuk Seri Chua Soi Lek who gave up his ministerial portfolio on Jan 2, 2008 after having admitted that he was the individual featured in a sensational sex DVD that was widely being circulated in Johor at that time.
Following his admission a day earlier, Chua who is now 78 also formally announced his resignation as the Labis MP and MCA vice-president.
Years later, he attributed his downfall to his work dedication as health minister and MCA vice-president which eventually sparked suspicion among his political rivals.
As Malaysians dug deeper in search of ministers with such exemplary attributes such as Rafizi and Nik Nazmi, one commenter recalled Prime Minister Datuk Seri Anwar Ibrahim as having sued the Malaysian Government and twice former premier Tun Dr Mahathir Mohamad for firing him as finance minister on Sept 2, 1998.
This was when a fellow netizen clarified that the ordeal was not prompted by PMX's loss in party election (he was in UMNO then) but that he was 'accused of committing sod*my which he couldn't accept voluntarily'.
Going further back, a commenter recounted former health and social welfare minister Abdul Aziz Ishak (1960-1962) as 'a great minister who didn't mind losing his (ministerial) position'.
'He resigned because the then PM Tunku Abdul Rahman wouldn't let him build a n urea fertiliser factory to help paddy farmers,' he shared.
'Aziz is the younger brother of Singapore's first president Yusof Ishak (who also founded Utusan Melayu) whose portrait is still displayed in Singapore.'
Fast forward to the 2020s, the commenter posited that perhaps Housing and Local Government Minister Nga Kor Ming should 'step down temporarily until the MACC's (Malaysian Anti-Corruption Commission) investigation into the MyKiosk fiasco is complete'.
'Only by so doing would DAP (Nga is currently DAP's deputy chairman) be a political party with dignity,' he opined. – May 29, 2025
Main image credit: Bernama
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