KUCHING: Nik Nazmi Nik Ahmad has stepped down from his position as Minister of Natural Resources and Environmental Sustainability.
According to him, he has tendered his resignation letter to Prime Minister Datuk Seri Anwar Ibrahim effective July 4.
“I will be on leave from tomorrow until July 3.
“Since my appointment to the Cabinet, first as Minister of Natural Resources, Environment and Climate Change (December 2022 — December 2023), and then as Minister of Natural Resources and Environmental Sustainability (December 2023—July 2025), I have worked tirelessly with my Deputy Minister and dedicated civil servants to implement much-needed reforms,” he said in a statement posted on his Facebook page today (May 28).
Nik Nazmi said that he understands his role as Parti Keadilan Rakyat vice president played a significant part in his Cabinet appointment. Following his loss in the party’s recent elections, he has chosen to resign from his ministerial post.
“I would like to thank the capable civil servants, the excellent team at my office, and all public, private, and civil society stakeholders who have taught me so much and enabled us to implement significant changes during this period.
“We tried our best to take an open, consultative approach with all in introducing laws and designing policies,” he said.
Among the key achievements of the ministry is to amend the Phase 1 of the Environmental Quality Act 1974 and improvements in transparency concerning Environmental Impact Assessment (EIA) reporting.
He added that Malaysia also became one of the earliest countries to submit its National Biodiversity Strategies and Action Plan (NBSAP) to combat environmental degradation.
A significant reduction in deforestation rates has also received recognition from the United Nations secretary-general António Guterres, he said.
“Within weeks in office, we also implemented subsidy retargeting for electricity under the Imbalance Cost Pass-Through (ICPT) Mechanism in Peninsular Malaysia. We likewise passed the Energy Efficiency and Conservation Act at the Dewan Rakyat. In the water sector, we managed to establish the much-needed Tariff Setting Mechanism,” he said.
Nik Nazmi said the ministry initiated the National Climate Change Bill, which is now in its final stages before being tabled to Cabinet and Parliament.
“I now look forward to resuming my responsibilities as a member of parliament and focusing on serving my constituency in Setiawangsa.
“To borrow the words of the late British MP, Tony Benn, I left the cabinet to devote more time to politics and public service.”
