Pakatan also chose Speaker without taking a vote, says Najib

Azhar Harun’s appointment as Dewan Rakyat speaker caused a hue and cry. (Bernama pic)

PETALING JAYA: Former prime minister Najib Razak has called on all parties to “move on” from the issue of the changing of the Dewan Rakyat speaker, saying there was nothing unlawful about it.

He said the law was clear that Parliament can remove the Dewan Rakyat speaker at any time it resolves, as when a vote was taken on a motion to remove Mohamad Ariff Md Yusof.

Opposition politicians kicked up a hue and cry when a motion to appoint former Election Commission chairman Azhar Azizan Harun as the new Speaker was adopted without a vote.

“I would like to remind the opposition that when Pakatan Harapan formed the federal government and proposed Tan Sri Ariff as speaker, there was also no vote,” he told FMT.

“There’s even a video of it online, so it’s quite hypocritical of them to criticise the appointment of the new speaker when they had done the same thing.”

Najib also reminded the opposition that Azhar was PH’s choice to head the EC.

“If you think he is not a fair person, not a capable person or he has no integrity, why did you appoint him as EC head then? Or did you think that elections do not need to be fair and have integrity?” said Najib.

The opposition should move on and focus on issues affecting Malaysians, such as Covid-19 and the economy, instead of playing politics. They should be an effective opposition, and debate using facts and figures, he said. - FMT