Umno’s Puad to be new Johor assembly speaker

 

Sultan of Johor is expected to grant Puad Zarkashi (left) an audience this morning. Samsolbari Jamali will be the deputy speaker.

PETALING JAYA: Umno Supreme Council member Puad Zarkashi will be appointed the new speaker of the 15th Johor state assembly.

A source told FMT that Sultan Ibrahim Sultan Iskandar will give Puad, the Rengit assemblyman, an audience at 9am today, where he will be appointed the new speaker.

The source also confirmed that Semarang assemblyman Samsolbari Jamali, who is also the Ayer Hitam Umno division chief, will be appointed Puad’s deputy.

Puad, the Batu Pahat Umno division chief, was formerly a deputy education minister.

Since Abdul Ghani Othman’s time as Johor menteri besar from 1995, the speaker for the state assembly had comprised non-elected representatives – from Ali Hassan and Mohamad Aziz to Amanah’s Suhaizan Kaiat, most recently.

In the state election last month, Barisan Nasional stormed to a convincing victory by winning 40 of the 56 seats up for grabs, giving it a two-thirds majority in the legislative assembly. - FMT