PAS nominates speaker and deputy for PH-run Kedah

PAS hopes an opposition candidate will be elected by the state assembly to provide more effective check and balance.

Ahmad Fakhruddin (left) and Wan Romani are the PAS nominees for speaker and deputy speaker.

GEORGE TOWN: Kedah’s opposition party PAS has submitted names of its own candidates to be speaker and deputy speaker of the Kedah state assembly, where Pakatan Harapan is one seat short of a majority.

The two PAS nominees are its state commissioner Ahmad Fakhruddin Syeikh Fakhrurazi as speaker, and Bukit Pinang assemblyman Wan Romani Wan Salim as deputy speaker.

The two positions will be filled in an election by members of the new state assembly when it holds its first session beginning on July 4.

Pakatan Harapan, which has formed the state government, has already nominated two candidates.

But a Kedah PAS deputy commissioner, Muhammad Sanusi Md Nor, said he hoped that an opposition member would be chosen as speaker “to ensure a better and more effective check and balance”.

“The proposal of the two candidates is in line with the state constitution, which allows an open avenue for democracy. We can also propose candidates, aside from Pakatan Harapan,” he told FMT.

It would not be the first time PAS has done such a thing, having proposed names before in 1999.

Kedah Menteri Besar Mukhriz Mahathir recently said that the PH nominees for speaker and deputy speaker candidates were from PKR and PPBM respectively.

Of the 18 PH seats, PKR has 7, PPBM (5), Amanah (4) and DAP (2).

The coalition is evenly matched by the combined opposition, comprising PAS (15) and Barisan Nasional (3).

Muhammad Sanusi, who is assemblyman for Jeneri, said both his party’s candidates, Ahmad and Wan Romani, had the political experience to hold the posts. His proposal was seconded by Sungai Limau assemblyman Mohd Azam Abd Samat.

It remains unclear if Barisan Nasional would also be proposing a candidate, or have already done so. Calls to BN assemblymen in the state went unanswered. -FMT