Pakatan nominates ex-judge as Speaker

Name submitted after Johari rethink

PUTRAJAYA: Pakatan Harapan has decided to nominate a retired judge for the Speaker’s post after a rethink on its earlier choice.

PKR secretary-general Datuk Saifuddin Nasution Ismail said yesterday that the name of the candidate had already been sent to the Dewan Rakyat secretariat.

Two retired Court of Appeal judges – Datuk Mohamad Ariff Md Yusof and Datuk Seri Mohd Hishamudin Yunus – have been strongly linked to the job.

Saifuddin said this was to reverse Pakatan’s unanimous decision on Monday to name PKR Sungai Petani MP Datuk Johari Abdul, who is also the Gurun assemblyman, for the post.

He explained that the meeting overlooked Article 57( 4) of the Federal Constitution, which stipulates that an assemblyman must resign if elected Dewan Rakyat Speaker.

“So nominating Johari as Speaker would have required that he vacate his state seat, which will trigger a by-election in Kedah.

“With Pakatan now holding 18 of the 36 state seats there, Johari’s resignation would make Pakatan’s hold on Kedah precarious,” he said yesterday.

Saifuddin, who is Domestic Trade and Consumer Affairs Minister, said Johari was considered for the post as he was a senior PKR leader who had not been included in the Cabinet.

“It is not that he lobbied for the job,” he added.

Saifuddin said although the Pakatan manifesto carried the pledge that the Speaker would be chosen from among the MPs, it was felt that an exception could be made if the candidate met the requirements.

Saifuddin also addressed criticisms of Johari as a potential Speaker by the G25 group of eminent persons, who questioned the latter’s suitability due to his background as National Civics Bureau (BTN) director and former PKR whip in Parliament,

Saifuddin said Johari was actually BTN director when Tun Dr Mahathir Mohamad first served as Prime Minister.

He said BTN at that time was not the same as the one under the administration of subsequent prime ministers, especially Datuk Seri Najib Tun Razak.

“It is very unfair of them to be critical of Johari, to say that they cannot accept BTN when they can accept Dr Mahathir,” he said.

Saifuddin also said one candidate each from PKR and DAP had been proposed to fill the two Deputy Speaker posts.