Speaker Johari Abdul states the opposition leader post remains unchanged as no formal notification of a leadership change has been received by his office.
KUALA LUMPUR: Status quo remains for the opposition Leader post in the Dewan Rakyat for now, says Speaker Tan Sri Johari Abdul.
In an interview with theSun, Johari made it clear that no official communication has been received regarding any move to replace the current opposition leader, despite talks that the opposition bloc is attempting to install a new leader in Parliament.
“As long as I receive nothing from the opposition, or from anybody for that matter, then to me, everything remains the same,” he said this when asked to comment on the impending leadership change.
Johari stressed that the Speaker’s office operates strictly based on formal notifications and established parliamentary procedures, not political conjecture or informal discussions.
“Until and unless I get something from them – from one party or various parties – certainly I will come in and investigate, and I’ll make a decision then. But at the moment, nothing has happened.
“With nothing formally brought before me, everything stays as it is,” Johari said.
Following the appointment of its vice-president Datuk Seri Ahmad Samsuri Mokhtar as the new Perikatan Nasional (PN) chairman last Sunday, PAS – widely seen as the coalition’s dominant component party – has signalled that it should also assume the opposition leader post.
However, PAS secretary-general Datuk Seri Takiyuddin Hassan, who also serves as PN assistant secretary-general, said the party needs time to deliberate on its nominee for the position.
The development comes in the wake of the Feb 12 sacking of Bersatu deputy president Datuk Seri Hamzah Zainudin, who currently holds the opposition leader post.
Hamzah and 16 other Bersatu leaders were expelled amid allegations of party sabotage and attempts to unseat party president Tan Sri Muhyiddin Yassin.
The matter was raised in the Dewan Rakyat on Monday by RSN Rayer (PH–Jelutong), who sought clarification on the status of the opposition leader position.
In response, Deputy Speaker Datuk Ramli Mohd Noor said the House has not received any formal notification of a change.
As it stands, no official submission has been made to effect a leadership transition in Parliament.
