KUALA LUMPUR – Perikatan Nasional (PN) will not support any proposal to amend the constitution for the purpose of creating another post of Dewan Rakyat deputy speaker, said its chairman Tan Sri Muhyiddin Yassin.
He said the PN supreme council was of the view that the roles of two deputy speakers, as stipulated in Article 57(1)(b) of the federal constitution, were enough to ensure the smooth running of Dewan Rakyat meetings.
In addition, Article 57(3) of the federal constitution allows any member of the Dewan Rakyat to chair a Dewan Rakyat sitting in the absence of the speaker and deputy speakers, he said.
“Therefore, there is no need for the federal constitution to be amended to add another deputy speaker post at this time. The proposal to amend the constitution would require the support of two-thirds of the MPs,” he said in a statement today.
Muhyiddin said the memorandum of understanding between the government and the opposition signed on September 13 was limited to the matters that had been agreed upon.
“Amending the constitution to increase the number of deputy speakers was not part of the agreement. Therefore, it is not reasonable for any party to demand for it,” he said.
Minister in the Prime Minister’s Department (Parliament and Law) Datuk Seri Wan Junaidi Tuanku Jaafar said the election of a Dewan Rakyat deputy speaker to fill the post vacated by Datuk Seri Azalina Othman Said had been postponed.
He said the postponement was to enable Article 57 (1)(b) of the federal constitution to be amended to increase the number of deputy speakers from the current two to three. – Bernama, October 7, 2021
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