Is Rafizi Ramli now the conscience of Malaysia’s Reformasi movement?

At the halfway point of his term, Malaysia’s Prime Minister Anwar Ibrahim faces trouble brewing inside his own camp as his long-time lieutenant Rafizi Ramli seizes the banner of reform and clean government that was once his own.Malaysia must hold its next general election by February 2028, but with both the governing coalition and the opposition facing internal power struggles, swathes of the electorate remain unconvinced by either side’s case to govern.For Anwar, who spent decades vying to lead the country, a challenge is emerging from the heart of his administration in the form of Rafizi, a former economy minister and popular figurehead of the People’s Justice Party (PKR).Rafizi emerged as one of the government’s loudest critics after losing the party’s deputy presidency to Anwar’s daughter Nurul Izzah in May last year.Black-clad protesters carry signs portraying Azam Baki (left) and Malaysian Prime Minister Anwar Ibrahim at the rally in the capital on Sunday. Photo: X/Rafizi RamliThe defeat prompted him to quit the cabinet, saying it meant he no longer “had the mandate to push reforms within the government”.Since then, he has positioned himself as the conscience of the Reformasi: the loose pro-democracy movement born out of street protests after Anwar was sacked and jailed in the late 1990s.