In a recent opinion piece, Zulkifli said that Rafizi, since resigning from the Cabinet, had seemed to be “burning the mosquito net to kill the mosquito”, using a Malay idiom to describe how the former minister’s criticisms will harm the party’s image.

“On Friday (June 20), Rafizi started his first podcast, ‘Yang Berhenti Menteri’, after his exit from the Cabinet.

“He is still making accusations. He likes to make his own conclusions and point fingers at the prime minister,” he said.

Zulkifli criticised Rafizi for publicly going against PKR, pointing out that the party took 25 years to reach where it is today.

“Why burn the mosquito net to kill a mosquito? Rafizi’s actions seem to be dragging PKR backward,” he said.

Rafizi had resigned from the Cabinet after losing to Nurul Izzah Anwar in the race for the post of PKR deputy president.

In his podcast, he said it was better for him to resign than to become a “lame duck” minister or a “yes man”.

Rafizi claimed it was clear he had lost the prime minister’s confidence, making it impossible to carry out reforms effectively.

However, Zulkifli said Rafizi had been rash to resign, as he still had the support of the public despite losing party support.

He pointed out that Rafizi had not been asked or pressured to resign, and the prime minister himself had asked him to stay.

Zulkifli said there was no need for a minister to hold a party post, and that Rafizi had a good track record as economy minister with initiatives such as the People’s Income Initiative, Johor-Singapore Special Economic Zone (JS-SEZ) and the 13th Malaysia Plan.

He added that Rafizi should have calmed down and asked himself if resigning would have benefited the party.

Zulkifli said winning and losing is common in politics.

“Politics is very dynamic. One cannot be petty in politics. A politician must resist criticism. He cannot be thin-skinned (telinga nipis),” he added.