Lobbying on for Senate presidency

PETALING JAYA: With Tun Dr Wan Junaidi Tuanku Jaafar now the Yang di-Pertua Negeri of Sarawak, the jostling has begun for the Dewan Negara presidency that he vacated.

Both Umno and Wan Junaidi’s Gabungan Parti Sarawak (GPS) have indicated that they are keen on the position.

A Putrajaya insider pointed out that since Wan Junaidi and GPS had voluntarily let go of the presidency, the position was now open for lobbying by other parties.

“If it (the vacancy) was because of death, that would be a different matter.

“Normally, the same party would get the vacated position but, in this case, we can’t say for sure because there are other contenders and several names are being proposed, not just from GPS,” the source said.

Deputy Prime Minister Datuk Seri Fadillah Yusof, however, said GPS was expecting one of its leaders to be appointed as the new Speaker of the Upper House but stopped short of confirming whether the party would get it.

He said the party would leave it to Prime Minister Datuk Seri Anwar Ibrahim to decide.

“It is the prerogative of the Prime Minister. We in GPS respect whatever decision he makes. Of course, we do expect a representative from Sarawak to replace the outgoing Speaker (Wan Junaidi),” he said.

Asked if they had a candidate in mind, Fadillah said: “I don’t know. It’s the Prime Minister’s call.”

One name, though, is being bandied about – Datuk Idris Buang.

However, that could prove to be a red herring as Idris is the current Sarawak state legislative assembly deputy speaker and state assemblyman for Muara Tuang.

Taking on the Senate presidency would mean having to let go of the two posts, and possibly triggering a by-election in his constituency.

An MP or state assemblyman must relinquish his post to become the Senate president.

On the Barisan Nasional side, it is said that Dewan Negara Deputy Speaker Datuk Nur Jazlan Mohamed, from Umno, is being touted for a promotion to the Speaker’s post.

Attempts to reach Nur Jazlan have so far been unsuccessful but a source close to the former Public Accounts Committee (PAC) chairman, while playing coy, said it was a possibility.

“I don’t know. Maybe. We’ll see,” he said.

It’s not just Umno and GPS. Other parties are also said to be eyeing the position.

In Pakatan Harapan, one name that cropped up was former Parit Buntar MP and ex-minister Datuk Seri Dr Mujahid Yusof Rawa from Amanah, who is currently a senator.

Considering that he looks set to eventually take over from current Amanah president Datuk Seri Mohamad Sabu, a source within Pakatan said it was “a good time for Mujahid to demonstrate his leadership”.

On the other side of the bloc, it is being claimed that Gabungan Rakyat Sabah (GRS) component party Parti Cinta Sabah’s president Datuk Seri Anifah Aman is being proposed because of his vast experience in politics and federal administration.

For Perikatan Nasional, an aide to a former minister said two names have been proposed from Bersatu – former Dewan Negara Speaker Tan Sri Dr Rais Yatim and former Mersing MP Datuk Dr Abdul Latiff Ahmad.

“So far, we only heard these two names being proposed but it hasn’t been finalised yet,” the source said.

Rais, however, dismissed such talk as “too far-fetched” since he had already occupied the post once.

“I only left the post seven, eight months ago,” he said, but not before adding that he was “open to it”.

“Besides, the former Speaker (Wan Junaidi) and I have done quite a bit of work. We have left some homework which will be a good start for our successor to continue,” he said.

The Dewan Negara Speaker’s post has to be filled before Feb 26 for the official opening of the new session of Parliament by the new King of Malaysia, His Majesty Sultan Ibrahim.

Last month, Anwar said the unity government secretariat had met on Jan 22 to discuss the appointment of the new Dewan Negara president.