Rais, Yeoh considered for speaker and deputy, Ambiga denies being on list

Former minister Rais Yatim and DAP lawmaker Hannah Yeoh are being considered for the posts of Dewan Rakyat speaker and deputy speaker respectively, according to a government source.

“However, there is no final decision as yet,” he told Malaysiakini.

Meanwhile, National Human Rights Society (Hakam) president Ambiga Sreenevasan denied that her name was being considered for the speaker's post.

“No. I am not a candidate for speaker,” she told Malaysiakini in a Whatsapp message.

She was responding to a report in the Star, which claimed that Ambiga, who was also the former Bar Council president, is the frontrunner for the post due to her legal background.

Whereas the New Straits Times raised the possibility of a split within Pakatan Harapan over this issue.

Quoting sources, it claimed that Prime Minister Dr Mahathir Mohamad wanted Rais while other leaders preferred Yeoh (photo).

Rais, a former Umno supreme council member, had joined Bersatu earlier this month.

Prior to the May 9 general election, he had campaigned for Harapan much to the chagrin of Umno leaders, and rubbished claims that DAP posed a threat to the position of Islam and Malays.

Yeoh, who is the MP for Segambut, had served as the speaker for the Selangor state legislative assembly prior to the national polls.

The 14th Parliament session is scheduled to hold its first sitting on July 16.

In an interview with the Star, Rais was asked if he was being considered for the speaker's post, to which he replied, “I don't think so.” - Mkini