Johari Abdul is new Dewan Rakyat Speaker

KUALA LUMPUR: Datuk Johari Abdul has been appointed as the Dewan Rakyat Speaker after 147 Members of Parliament (MP) voted in favour of him via a ballot.

The appointment of the Speaker was the first order of business of the House as the 15th Parliament session convened for the first time on Monday (Dec 19).

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Dewan Rakyat secretary Nizam Mydin Bacha Mydin said that a ballot vote has to be carried out according to Standing Order 4(3) as there is more than one candidate for the Speaker's post.

This is after former Speaker Tan Sri Azhar Azizan Harun vacated his seat on Sunday (Dec 18) night.

Prime Minister Datuk Seri Anwar Ibrahim( PH-Tambun) had proposed Johari - who is the former three-term Sungai Petani MP - as the government’s candidate for the Speaker’s post and his motion was seconded by his deputy Datuk Seri Ahmad Zahid Hamidi (BN-Bagan Datuk).

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Meanwhile, Opposition Chief Datuk Seri Hamzah Zainuddin (PN-Larut) proposed former Home Minister Tan Sri Radzi Sheikh Ahmad as Perikatan Nasional’s choice for the post. His motion was seconded by Datuk Seri Takiyuddin Hassan (PN-Kota Bharu).

Radzi secured 74 votes.

Johari won the Sungai Petani seat in 2008 and defended it twice successfully, but he did not run in the 15th General Election.

Azhar’s appointment as Speaker in July 2020 was unopposed after then-Speaker Tan Sri Mohamad Ariff Md Yusoff was asked to vacate the post during the Perikatan administration under Prime Minister Tan Sri Muhyiddin Yassin.

The appointment of the Deputy Speakers is expected to take place after all the 222 MPs are sworn in.