KUALA LUMPUR: Dewan Rakyat Speaker Tan Sri Johari Abdul is still waiting for a notice on the appointment of the Opposition leader in the House.
“As we have not received any notice, it is status quo,” he told reporters after a buka puasa event with Prime Minister Datuk Seri Anwar Ibrahim and MPs in Parliament yesterday.
Johari also said he has yet to be notified of changes in the seating following the sacking of several Bersatu MPs from their party.
This includes Opposition leader and Larut MP Datuk Seri Hamzah Zainudin.
PAS, the component party with the highest number of seats in the Opposition bloc, has said the new leader will be appointed from its MPs.
The Dewan Rakyat Standing Orders 4a(1) states that there must be a leader of the Opposition in the House.
Standing Order 4a(4) further provides that the decision of the Dewan Rakyat Speaker will be final if there is a dispute over the selection of a candidate to lead the Opposition bloc.
“If any doubt or dispute arises as to who is or has been the leader of the Opposition at any material time, the question shall be decided by Tuan Yang di-Pertua and his decision which is certified in writing under his hand shall be final and conclusive,” it read.
At press time, there are no changes to seating positions, with Hamzah still occupying the first seat in the G bloc.
PAS vice-president Datuk Seri Dr Ahmad Samsuri Mokhtar, who is the Kemaman MP, was named as the new Perikatan Nasional chairman following the resignation of Tan Sri Muhyiddin Yassin on Jan 1.
It remains to be seen whether the Terengganu Mentri Besar, who is a first-time MP, will be the new Opposition leader in the august House.
Other seasoned MPs who could take on the role included PAS chief Tan Sri Abdul Hadi Awang, under whom Ahmad Samsuri once served as political secretary.
However, Abdul Hadi previously declined to succeed Muhyiddin as the Perikatan chief citing health issues, and the likelihood of him taking on the role of Opposition chief is slim.
Other possible candidates include Hadi’s deputy Datuk Seri Tuan Ibrahim Tuan Man and Opposition chief whip Datuk Seri Takiyuddin Hassan.
Separately, the Prime Minister described the relationship between Ahmad Samsuri and himself as good friends.
“Of course we’re friendly. We’re friends. It’s Ramadan and it’s normal to have iftar together,” he said when asked about their jovial exchange at the iftar event.
At the start of the event, Anwar was seen sharing a firm handshake and exchanging pleasantries with Ahmad Samsuri with both sitting at the same table.
Anwar, however, remained tight-lipped when asked if a Royal Commission of Inquiry will probe a Bloomberg report allegedly implicating Malaysian Anti-Corruption Commission (MACC) chief commissioner Tan Sri Azam Baki over his ownership of 17.7 million shares.
“We’ll discuss,” he said briefly.
