PETALING JAYA: Dewan Rakyat Speaker Tan Sri Johari Abdul has yet to receive a letter on the vacancy of the Opposition leader’s post following Datuk Seri Hamzah Zainudin’s resignation, his office has confirmed.
"Our office has yet to receive any information from the office of the Opposition leader regarding the vacancy of the position," it told The Star on Friday (April 17).
Earlier, Perikatan Nasional chairman Datuk Seri Ahmad Samsuri Mokhtar said a letter had been sent to Johari, notifying him of the vacancy following the Larut MP’s resignation as Opposition leader.
“The letter has been sent and is expected to be received today or tomorrow (April 18),” he told reporters at the Terengganu PAS Hari Raya open house on Friday.
Ahmad Samsuri said the coalition has also received applications for the post from several parties.
“We are evaluating (the applications) and have sought further details to better understand their structure and submissions before deliberations at the top leadership meeting.
There are no changes in seating position in the Dewan Rakyat as of Thursday (April 16), with Hamzah still occupying the first seat on the G bloc, which is usually reserved for the Opposition leader.
PAS, which holds the highest number of seats in the Dewan Rakyat, previously expressed its desire to have one of its MPs as the new Opposition leader.
The candidate for the position is expected to be announced before the House meets in June.
Analysts have predicted that if PAS were to take the role as Opposition leader in the House, possible candidates include Ahmad Samsuri himself, PAS sec-gen Datuk Seri Takiyuddin Hassan, and Opposition chief whip as well as PAS deputy president Datuk Seri Tuan Ibrahim Tuan Man.
While Ahmad Samsuri is a first-time MP, the other two are seasoned MPs.
