PERIKATAN Nasional (PN) will submit formal notification to the Speaker of the Dewan Rakyat confirming Datuk Seri Hamzah Zainudin as Opposition Leader before Parliament reconvenes on 22 June, while dismissing suggestions that the position is determined through party appointment.
PN Information Chief Tan Sri Annuar Musa said the notification could be submitted at any time before the parliamentary sitting begins, describing the process as an administrative formality rather than the mechanism through which the Opposition Leader is chosen.
According to Annuar, there has been widespread misunderstanding over the constitutional practice governing the appointment of the Opposition Leader.
"The Opposition Leader is not appointed by a political party. Instead, he is chosen from among opposition Members of Parliament who give their majority support to a particular candidate.
"That is the practice that has always been followed," he told reporters after the launch of Kelantan City FC's new logo and coaching line-up on Friday.
Annuar said Hamzah secured the position after receiving the backing of a majority of opposition lawmakers, including Members of Parliament from parties within the Perikatan Nasional coalition.
"All 43 PAS Members of Parliament supported him, while the majority of the 19 Bersatu Members of Parliament also gave him their support.
"On that basis, he became the Opposition Leader," he said.
Annuar stressed that the notification to the Speaker merely serves to formalise the parliamentary record and does not alter the principle that the Opposition Leader derives legitimacy from the support of the majority of opposition Members of Parliament.
He maintained that the administrative notification has no bearing on the decision already reached by opposition lawmakers, who selected Hamzah through majority backing ahead of the new parliamentary meeting. - June 19, 2026
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