KUALA LUMPUR – Datuk Seri Ismail Sabri Yaakob’s government has reportedly named Umno secretary-general Datuk Seri Ahmad Maslan as the sole candidate for the Dewan Rakyat deputy speaker post.
According to Malaysiakini, Umno’s Datuk Seri Mohamed Nazri Abdul Aziz had confirmed the Pontian MP’s nomination.
“Yes, it’s true. YB Pontian is nominated for the deputy speaker post,” Nazri was quoted as saying.
The Vibes has reached out to Ahmad for a response on the matter but the Umno politician has yet to respond at the time of writing.
Ahmad’s reported nomination comes despite him facing trial over alleged money laundering involving RM2 million received from former prime minister Datuk Seri Najib Razak in 2013.
After being elected as Pontian MP in 2008, Ahmad has held several federal posts, including deputy minister in the prime minister's department in 2009, and deputy finance minister in 2013.
In 2017, Ahmad – who holds a Bachelor of Economics and Political Science from the Victoria University of Wellington and an MBA from University Kebangsaan Malaysia – was appointed international trade and industry minister.
Earlier, another name tipped to replace Deputy Dewan Rakyat Speaker Datuk Mohd Rashid Hasnon, was Datuk Seri Azalina Othman Said, who resigned from the post recently.
Also, on Sunday, Utusan had quoted a source as saying that Dewan Rakyat Speaker Azhar Azizan Harun might get to keep his job, with Ahmad set to replace Azalina.
The source had said the proposal was agreed upon by the Perikatan Nasional (PN) and Barisan Nasional (BN) coalitions.
“Azhar will stay and Ahmad Maslan will replace Azalina. That’s the proposal for now. But there might be names put forth by the opposition,” the source had said.
Motions to remove Azhar as speaker were filed by at least two MPs – Pulai MP Datuk Seri Salahuddin Ayub and Lembah Pantai MP Fahmi Fadzil.
However, their applications were both rejected by Rashid, citing technicalities.
Meanwhile, Azalina was also rumoured to replace Azhar as Dewan Rakyat speaker but she herself remained mum when asked.
Malaysiakini last week quoted a source as saying Umno is of the view that it should have control over the speaker’s position, and that Azalina is the right candidate for the job.
It said two Supreme Council members have confirmed that plans to nominate Azalina are under way, and that party president Datuk Seri Ahmad Zahid Hamidi will submit a motion on it.
Contacted by The Vibes, Zahid had said it is best to get the details from Ahmad.
“Please ask my secretary-general Ahmad Maslan for more details.”
He also did not confirm whether a motion had been sent to Azhar seeking a change for the post.
Azhar had told The Vibes that he is not at liberty to speak to the media and comment on the issue due to conflict of interest. – The Vibes, September 8, 2021
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