Sim welcomes Tengku Zafrul to PKR, praises him as ‘effective technocratic Minister’

Sim welcomes Tengku Zafrul to PKR, praises him as ‘effective technocratic Minister’

SHAH ALAM – Bayan Baru Member of Parliament (MP) Sim Tze Tzin has warmly welcomed the Investment, Trade and Industry (Miti) Minister Tengku Datuk Seri Zafrul Abdul Aziz into Parti Keadilan Rakyat (PKR), lauding his track record as an effective technocratic Minister with both corporate and global experience.

In a statement posted on X, Sim described Tengku Zafrul as a capable leader with the right values and breadth of experience to strengthen the party.

Recalling their first meeting, Sim said that he first knew Tengku Zafrul when he was still the CIMB Bank Chief Executive Officer (CEO).

“It was 2020 in a Hari Raya Open House. He sat beside me and we had a very engaging and intellectual conversation on economy and investment. A discussion that left a lasting impression on me.

“He has proven to be an effective technocratic Minister, navigating complex financial challenges during Covid pandemic,” he said, praising Tengku Zafrul’s leadership during his tenure as Finance Minister in 2020.

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Datuk Seri Tengku Zafrul Tengku Abdul Aziz. Bernama FILE PIX

He added that Tengku Zafrul’s work as Miti’s Minister in 2022 further demonstrated his capability, particularly in supporting Prime Minister Datuk Seri Anwar Ibrahim’s efforts to secure record-high foreign and domestic investments.

“One of his most notable recent achievements was successfully negotiating with the United States (US) to reduce tariffs from 25 per cent to 19 per cent, a move that greatly benefited Malaysian industries.

“Tengku Zafrul is young, energetic (he likes to run) and hardworking. He has extensive Malaysian corporate experiences as well as global experiences. Not many leaders in Malaysia have this breadth of experiences.

“I observed that his political outlooks are very aligned to Keadilan: moderate, multiracial and global minded. Yesterday (Friday), Tengku Zafrul officially announced to join the big Keadilan family.

“I believe he will contribute towards building a stronger Keadilan. Welcome Tengku Zafrul, I look forward to working together and running together with you,” he said.

The Miti Minister confirmed that the party had accepted his membership application and that he is now part of the Ampang PKR division.

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“I can confirm that I applied to join the party and I informed the secretary-general on the matter,” he told Malaysian media at the Malaysia Pavilion in World Expo 2025 on Friday.

In May, Tengku Zafrul resigned as an Umno supreme council member, Kota Raja division chief and as a party member, after earlier stepping down as Selangor Umno treasurer in April last year.

He had also informed PKR President and Prime Minister Anwar of his intention to join PKR.

His move came shortly after PKR figures Datuk Seri Rafizi Ramli and Nik Nazmi Nik Ahmad resigned as Ministers, following their losses in the party’s internal elections.

Speculation about Tengku Zafrul’s defection from Umno to PKR had been ongoing since late last year.