‘No PKR-DAP dispute over Selangor speaker’s appointment’
SHAH ALAM: Selangor Menteri Besar Amirudin Shari has dismissed claims that there are disagreements between PKR and DAP over the candidacy of the state legislative assembly speaker.
Amirudin said the appointment of Sekinchan assemblyman Ng Suee Lim (DAP) as speaker was based on consensus among Pakatan Harapan component parties.
“Discussions on who should be speaker were carried out harmoniously, without any dispute,” he said after the swearing-in of assemblymen for the first term of the 14th state legislative assembly sitting here yesterday.
“In our discussions, we weighed all possibilities and, in the end, consensus was reached with one candidate who garnered the unanimous support of all the assemblymen.”
PKR’s Paya Jaras assemblyman Khairuddin Othman was named deputy speaker.
Prior to the swearing-in ceremony, there were rumours that PKR had objected to the choice of Ng as speaker.
The state PKR leadership was said to have proposed Khairuddin as speaker as he had a legal background.
The position of speaker has been held by DAP since Pakatan Rakyat (now PH) took over the state administration in 2008.
Sungai Pinang (now Bandar Baru Klang) assemblyman Datuk Teng Chang Khim held the position until it was filled by Subang Jaya assemblyman Hannah Yeoh in 2013.
He said an announcement would be made today on the portfolio for newly sworn-in executive council member Rodziah Ismail.
“There are some small changes to the sports and youth portfolio. It will be announced tomorrow (today).
“There is a huge possibility that I will hold the portfolios of the former menteri besar (Datuk Seri Azmin Ali), which is Finance, Land Development and Natural Resources Management, Selangor Economic Action Council and Strategic Communications.”