INTRIGUE SURROUNDS MUHYIDDIN-ZAHID NEGOTIATIONS AS MAY 18 PARLIAMENT SITTING NEARS: AZALINA TO REPLACE KOR MING – WHILE EX-PAS MAN ARIFF & PKR TURNCOAT RASHID TO KEEP THEIR SPEAKER & DEPUTY SPEAKER POSTS?

Perikatan Nasional (PN) will nominate Penggerang MP Azalina Othman Said to replace Teluk Intan MP Nga Kor Ming as the Dewan Rakat deputy speaker, according to Sin Chew Daily.

The report, citing an unnamed source from Umno, said Azalina has been informed of the matter by party president Ahmad Zahid Hamidi.

When Sin Chew Daily contacted Azalina for comments, she said it was premature to comment at this stage as Parliament’s schedule is uncertain.

The report said that PN does not appear to be moving to replace the current Dewan Rakyat speaker, Mohamad Ariff Md Yusof, at the moment.

Ariff, a former Court of Appeal judge, was once as PAS member before leaving for Amanah. He quit the party when he accepted the job as Dewan Rakyat speaker.

According to Sin Chew Daily, although Ariff was considered a “Harapan man”, the source said the PN government was not about to give him the chop.

However, the source did not rule out that Ariff may not complete a full term as it was a matter of time before PN appointed one of their own.

“This won’t happen in the coming session,” he said.

The coalition also reportedly wants to retain Batu Pahat MP Mohd Rashid Hasnon as the Dewan Rakyat deputy speaker.

Rashid was among the PKR MPs who defected to Bersatu, which then pulled out of Pakatan Harapan to form the new PN government.

Parliament is scheduled to convene on May 18 where the first order of business is likely to be the tabling of the Supplementary Supply Bill to finance Putrajaya’s stimulus plan in response to the Covid-19 outbreak.

Since coming into power, the PN government has been actively removing political appoints by the previous administration.

When contacted by Malaysiakini, Nga said he will continue with his duties unless any new decision is made by the Parliament.

MKINI