Umno Supreme Council member Ahmad Shabery Cheek wants Pengerang MP Azalina Othman Said to replace Azhar Azizan Harun as Dewan Rakyat speaker.
Following her resignation from the deputy speaker’s post, and despite her omission from Prime Minister Ismail Sabri Yaakob’s Cabinet, Shabery said it was not too late for Azalina to be given a bigger role to play.
He urged for Azalina to be made speaker during the Dewan Rakyat sitting next month, adding that reforming Malaysia’s democratic system must start in Parliament.
“The Parliament that we see now needs a lot of reforms for it to reach a new level, let alone becoming a world-class Parliament.
“This requires a head who is dynamic, a democrat, and who does not bow easily to political pressure from anyone.
“Being the speaker isn’t just an occupation because one sits in the seat. It’s a responsibility to bring change for our beloved Malaysia,” he said in a Facebook post today.
Azalina resigned from the post last week and called for future speakers and deputy speakers to be suspended from political party posts to ensure impartiality in their parliamentary office.
In a statement, the former law minister cited moral, personal and political conflicts as reasons for her resignation, and said the lack of joint decision-making had affected her performance as deputy speaker.
She had also said the government should replace her with a member of the opposition if Putrajaya was serious about reforms and bipartisanship. – FMT