JOHOR BARU: First-term Rengit assemblyman Datuk Dr Mohd Puad Zakarshi is almost certain to be named as the new Johor state Speaker, while Johor Umno secretary and Semarang assemblyman Datuk Samsolbari Jamali is expected to be sworn in as his deputy, sources say.
Mohd Puad, 64, who is also Umno supreme council member, is among the most senior political leaders in the state and is the front-runner for the post.
The other candidates for the state Speaker post are former Rengit assemblyman Ayub Jamil and Sri Medan assemblyman Datuk Zulkurnain Kamisan.
When contacted, Samsolbari played down his chances of being appointed Deputy Speaker.
“I don’t know. Let’s just wait for the ceremony,” he said.
An invitation has been sent out to the media about a special state assembly sitting for the swearing in of all 56 Johor assemblymen, which would be held at Bangunan Sultan Ismail in Kota Iskandar today.
The special sitting would also see the appointment of a new Speaker and Deputy Speaker following the dissolution of the previous state assembly in January.
The two posts were previously held by Suhaizan Kaiat and Gan Peck Cheng respectively.
Under the previous practice, the person appointed as the Speaker was not from among the assemblymen coming from the government bloc.
However, the position of the Deputy Speaker is normally reserved for one of the government’s assemblymen, usually given to the most senior assemblyman.
According to a source, the matter involving the choosing of the new Speaker is to enable all elected representatives from the government side to vote if any motion is tabled, which requires the majority support of the assembly for it to be approved.
“Following Barisan Nasional’s big win of 40 seats in the Johor election, the matter is unlikely to affect any voting session,” the source added.
Pakatan Harapan, which won 13 seats in the state election, has named state DAP chairman Liew Chin Tong as the new Johor opposition chief.