Mohamad Ariff most appropriate for speaker post – Annuar
KUALA LUMPUR: The election of Datuk Mohamad Ariff Md Yusof as the Speaker of the Dewan Rakyat is most appropriate because he has extensive knowledge and experience, said Perak Dewan Negara member Datuk Seri Mohd Annuar Zaini.
He said that the Dewan Rakyat, as a law-making body, needed a Speaker who would be able to guide the course of debates with prudence, make wise evaluations and not be hasty in making decisions.
“If you want the best, you have to find the best. In football, for example, if a third-class referee is put in charge of a World Cup final match, he will not rise to the occasion even if he has the knowledge.
“A Speaker has to scrutinise the Bills to be tabled and should be able to provide advice on how to strengthen the laws,” he said in an interview programme produced by Astro Awani yesterday.
Mohamad Ariff, 69, was proclaimed as the ninth Speaker of the Dewan Rakyat at the first meeting of the first session of the 14th Parliament on Monday.
The retired Court of Appeal judge is known for his great sense of impartiality, especially during the Perak constitutional crisis in 2009 and the controversial open verdict relating to the death of Teoh Beng Hock, a political aide to a DAP assemblyman while being questioned by the Malaysian Anti Corruption Commission.
He is also well-versed in commercial, banking, securities, arbitration, constitutional and administrative law. - Bernama