Shocking Rise in Political Intimidation With Attack on Rafizi’s Son

KUALA LUMPUR — Police are hunting two men who attacked the 12-year-old son of former economy minister Rafizi Ramli in what is feared to be a politically motivated act of intimidation.

Selangor police chief Shazeli Kahar said investigators are reviewing CCTV footage and tracing the phone line used to send threatening messages to Rafizi and his wife following the assault. “The motive behind this case is still unknown… we will only be able to determine it once the suspects are identified,” he said.

The incident occurred on Wednesday afternoon (Aug 13) at a shopping mall car park in Putrajaya. Two men in black on a motorcycle allegedly dragged the boy from the family car and jabbed him with a syringe before fleeing. He was admitted to UPM Hospital for observation.

Political Intimidation

PKR deputy president Nurul Izzah Anwar condemned the attack, urging authorities to act “without compromise or exception.” Civil society group Projek Sama called the assault “an alarming escalation in political intimidation,” warning that “silence in the face of such brutality is complicity.”

Prime Minister Datuk Seri Anwar Ibrahim has ordered Home Minister Saifuddin Nasution Ismail to ensure a swift and transparent investigation.

“Such acts must be addressed decisively and comprehensively by the authorities so they do not destroy our country.” — Nurul Izzah Anwar

“Let the attack on Rafizi’s son be a wake-up call. May it unite rather than divide us.” — Projek Sama

Projek Sama

Projek Sama reminded all quarters that political rivalry must never devolve into hatred and violence, adding that it violates democratic norms and decency.

The assault, the NGO noted, revealed systemic vulnerabilities – owing to a perceived uneven political playing field, institutions that are biased or weak, and an inconsistent application of the rule of law.

“These failings, especially if unresolved, create a permissive environment for dangerous acts such as this.

“We must ask ourselves: when political critiques or dissent can provoke physical violence against one’s family, what hope remains for open, free, and fair political discourse?” Projek Sama asked.

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