Zafrul defends move to enter politics

Finance Minister Tengku Zafrul Aziz says his decision to enter politics was a tough but much-needed decision to allow him to continue serving the nation.

In an interview with CNN, he said that as a senator, his term in Parliament was limited to a maximum of six years. 

"If you want to continue to serve the nation, you need to be actively involved in politics. 

"My focus now is to continue with the fiscal reform and to continue in the longer term. So I have decided to go into politics and play a role in a political party," he said. 

Zafrul acknowledged that the decision could prove unpopular but maintained that it was the right move, saying it was important for people to understand why such a call had to be made. 

"You just have to do it. There's no trade-off for that. The problem when making a tough decision is, you do not find the time, and the best way is to communicate this well.

"We need stronger stakeholder management. And we have done that and we made a lot of tough decisions, especially during the crisis, the permanent Covid-19 crisis. So I think communication will be key and best to also focus on the nation's reform," he said.