Nurul Izzah: Why didn't BN nominate their own speaker?

The issue of when Pakatan Harapan nominated their speaker is "moot," according to PKR vice-president Nurul Izzah Anwar.

Instead, she said, the more pressing question is why BN did not propose their own candidate for speaker.

"This discussion is moot, partly because in the Standing Orders, it is stipulated that BN had every right to submit a name, their choice for a speaker, and they didn't do so.

"If you had a name then fine, let's discuss, let's debate, let's vote as they did for the deputy speaker.

"On that count, that is more the pressing issue, because we do need a name, so why didn't they submit a name if they were so compelled to have an alternative?" she asked during an interview with Malaysiakini on Tuesday.

Nurul Izzah said this when asked to address the debate over when Harapan nominated former Court of Appeal judge Mohamad Ariff Md Yusof to be speaker in time. 

The opposition had walked out of the Dewan Rakyat on Monday, when House secretary Roosme Hamzah said she had received the letter on Ariff's appointment from Harapan on July 2.

The only BN lawmakers who stayed in the House were Rembau MP Khairy Jamaluddin and Kimanis MP Anifah Aman.

The opposition said their objection was not towards the choice of Ariff as speaker, but rather Harapan not following due process, as Standing Order 4(1) requires a name to be submitted 14 days before Parliament convenes.

They cited news reports in which deputy prime minister and PKR president Dr Wan Azizah Wan Ismail had revealed that meetings were only held to discuss Harapan's choice of speaker on July 9 and 10.

Asked about the walkout and their own stunts in the past, Nurul Izzah said Harapan would not have pulled off a stunt without merit or clear justification.

"Having said that, not taking away their right to do so, I would both commend Khairy and Anifah for actually standing their ground, and that is the level of dissent and defiance, in pursuit of a bigger cause that you want," she said.

She added that Umno should get their act together, and provide constructive criticism to help the government move forward.

-Mkini