2 calon Speaker Dewan Rakyat. Rais Yatim vs Hannah Yeoh

R2D2

PH split over Dewan Speaker post?
June 21, 2018 @ 9:23am


KUALA LUMPUR: IS there a tussle between opposing camps in Pakatan Harapan (PH) concerning the appointment of the new Dewan Rakyat speaker?

Sources from within the ruling coalition and word on the ground reveal disagreements over candidates for the all-important post, which will become the face of Malaysia’s legislature in this brand new term.

One name being bandied about is Tan Sri Dr Rais Yatim, a former Barisan Nasional cabinet minister who broke ranks with the party when he openly supported PH in the 14th General Election.

Rais, 76, has held ministerial portfolios under five prime ministers, including stints as foreign, information and de facto law ministers.

He is seen as the front runner based on his background as a lawyer, experience in government and for being a widely respected veteran lawmaker.

His entry into the PH fold has come in quick succession after he was supportive of Prime Minister Tun Dr Mahathir Mohamad and PH in the weeks leading up to GE14, which earned scorn from many witin Umno.

Almost a month after being sacked by Umno, and after PH took over the Federal Government, Rais was made a member of Parti Pribumi Bersatu Malaysia on June 4.

Sources told the New Straits Times that Rais was Dr Mahathir’s choice as Dewan Rakyat speaker.

However, the choice was not well received by other top leaders in PH.

They were supportive of DAP’s Segambut member of parliament Hannah Yeoh.

If this happens, Yeoh, who is former Selangor state assembly speaker, could be the first woman in that post.

“They do not agree with the prime minister’s choice, that is why the appointment is taking so long.

“This is where BN and Umno come into play. Dr Mahathir’s candidate for speaker can be appointed if he gets the majority support, be it from the government or the opposition,” said the source.

Dr Mahathir made efforts to bring in support from Umno and BN when he met Umno vice-president Datuk Seri Dr Ahmad Zahid Hamidi on June 7.

Rais, being a former Umno leader, could be enticement enough for Umno’s 54 members of parliament to vote in favour of him when Dewan Rakyat convenes on July 16.

The source said Dr Mahathir also needed to appease certain PH supporters by making sure that the post went to a Malay Muslim.

“This is important after the flak the government received over the appointment of Tommy Thomas as the country’s first non-Malay and non-Muslim attorney-general.”

Rais did not respond to calls and text messages.

Yeoh said she was unaware that there had been protests against Dr Mahathir’s choice of Rais to become speaker.

“Best not to speculate and wait for official announcement by leadership... I better not comment, lah,” said Yeoh in a text message to the NST.

(File pix) Hannah Yeoh was Selangor state assembly speaker. Pix by Sairien Nafis

The speaker is elected when Parliament convenes for the first time after a general election, and the names of candidates must be submitted 14 days prior to the voting process.

A candidate for speaker must be nominated and seconded by at least two members of parliament other than himself. This nomination process must be conducted at least 14 days before the election of the speaker.

The Dewan Rakyat speaker is appointed based on Clause (1) (a) Article 57 of the Federal Constitution.

The speaker need not be a member of the house to be elected.

This means that both MPs or non-MPs are qualified to be speaker.

Both sides of the political divide are allowed to submit a name to become a candidate for the post.

There have only been two occasions in the past 13 terms of parliament where there was an election for the post.

If only one candidate meets the required conditions, he is automatically elected speaker. Otherwise, voting by secret ballot needs to be done.

The winner is decided by a simple majority in the 222-member house.

Council of Former Elected Representatives (Mubarak) president Tan Sri Abdul Aziz Rahman said the speaker must be someone who was seen to be fair to all and had earned the respect of parliamentarians to conduct the session judiciously.

Aziz said the speaker must have the necessary knowledge and experience.

“Rais has a vast experience, both as a member of the government as well as the opposition.

“He was an Umno member before joining Semangat 46, then back to Umno. Now, he is member of PPBM,” he said commenting on talks that the Umno veteran is the prime minister’s candidate for speaker.

Most PKR, DAP and Parti Amanah Negara leaders the NST spoke to were divided on their choice of speaker.

Wanita PH head Zuraida Kamaruddin said she supported a woman as the speaker.

She said Yeoh, 39, had the qualifications, but the prime minister’s had the final say.

“Hannah has proven to have the experience to become speaker since she was Selangor state assembly speaker.”

Johor PAN secretary Suhaizan Kaiat, however, was all for a woman being one of the two deputy speakers.

“Maybe a woman should not be put in the top post, but a leader like Yeoh could become deputy speaker.”

PKR lawmaker Fahmi Fadzil said: “The most important thing is that the speaker must have calibre, have the drive to reform the institution or parliament, and is neutral and professional.” -- Additional reporting by Tasnim Lokman

saripdolmat

Rais ni darah umno masih pekat lagi.. Baik bg hanna klu nak transparent.

wirazam

bg rais yatim as speaker...hannah as timbalan speaker...kan senang

Tok_Batin

Bagi peluang muka baru,

Hannah for me

mnh_2004_mnh

YB Hannah for me... Nampak transparent masa dia jd Speaker DUN Selangor

ayeesha

pakcik rais tu kasi rehat je lah.udah2 la. bagi org muda pegang plak

samasam90

xnaklah rais.. nanti jadi pendekar jua. euww

cmf_Strawberry

Knp rais yatim ni speacial sgt nak kena bagi jawatan? Sebelum ni pun dah ada jawatan kat iium... bersara je sudahla. Dia bukannya dari awal pun join ph.

MengkuduMasam

saripdolmat replied at 22-6-2018 08:12 AM
Rais ni darah umno masih pekat lagi.. Baik bg hanna klu nak transparent.

elok gak macam nih..

asik nak speaker bias ke gov je...

rais speaker & hannah as deputy speaker

kalo rais masuk... barulaa ahli parliment bersungguh guna bahasa malaysia dlm dewan

Artemesiaa

Bagi peluang pada yang muda pulak, YB Hannah for me

cenkudu

http://www.keadilandaily.com/pak ... eaker-dewan-rakyat/

ni calon PR terdahulu...mungkin lebih baik bagi mereka yang tiada kepentingan politik?

R2D2

Two Candidates Now In Race For Dewan Rakyat Speaker
    Published on Friday, 22 June 2018 19:19


KUALA LUMPUR – The media-speculated race for the post of Dewan Rakyat  Speaker seems to have narrowed down to just two candidates after social activist Datuk S. Ambiga spiked speculation she was on the shortlist.

"I am not a candidate for Speaker," said the former Bersih 2.0 chairman in a text message in a reply to Bernama.

Lawyer Ambiga was one of the three people mentioned in media speculation as to who would hold the position, besides former Selangor State Legislative Assembly Speaker Hannah Yeoh and former minister Tan Sri Dr Rais Yatim.

Yeoh, reportedly the choice of her party, DAP, had, according to some media reports, come out tops in a Facebook poll.

When contacted, she declined to comment, saying the announcement should come from the government.

"Let the PH (Pakatan Harapan coalition) leadership decide and announce,” she said.

Rais, a former Cabinet minister with legal training and wide experience, is seen as the front-runner, with an English daily even speculating that he is the choice of Prime Minister Tun Dr Mahathir Mohamad for the post.

In an interview with another English daily published today, Rais said the rumour was just a “big talk around”.

"It was like this five years ago (after GE13). My name was thrown around and nothing happened. It could happen this way again as well.” he was quoted as saying.

Although there has been speculation in the mainstream media and social media, there has been no official statement by the PH government on its choice of Speaker despite the first meeting of the Dewan Rakyat scheduled to convene in less than a month, on July 16.

In fact, several Pakatan Harapan leaders, when contacted, said the coalition had yet to have an official meeting to discuss the matter.

PKR communications director and PKR Youth vice-chief Fahmi Fadzil, who won the Lembah Pantai parliamentary seat in the 14th General Election last month, confirmed that no such meeting had been held.

"So far, there has been no official meeting. I have not received any information,” he said.

DAP vice-chairman Teresa Kok gave a similar reply.

According to the Standing Orders of the Dewan Rakyat, the names of candidates for Speaker must be submitted to the Parliament secretary prior to the voting process which must be conducted at least 14 days before the first meeting convenes.

The Speaker need not be a member of the House, which means both MPs and non-MPs are eligible for the post, with both sides of the political divide allowed to submit a name.

If only one candidate meets the required conditions, he or she is automatically appointed the Speaker. Otherwise, there has to be voting by secret ballot, where the winner is decided by a simple majority.

Amanah Youth chief Mohd Sany Hamzan said Amanah, to his knowledge, had yet to shortlist anyone for the post.

However, he was of the opinion that anyone could be elected on condition that the person needs to be responsible and fair.

"Selangor has proven that a woman can also be a Speaker,” he said in reference to Yeoh.

-- BERNAMA

tobby

MengkuduMasam replied at 22-6-2018 12:17 PM
elok gak macam nih..

asik nak speaker bias ke gov je...

Msia baru x perlu lg berbahasa melayu