Speaker not yet notified of Hamzah’s return as opposition leader

PETALING JAYA: Dewan Rakyat Speaker Johari Abdul has yet to receive notification from the opposition bloc about Larut MP Hamzah Zainudin’s return as opposition leader.

Johari said the last letter he received from Perikatan Nasional (PN) was nearly two weeks ago, informing him that its chairman, Ahmad Samsuri Mokhtar, had been appointed opposition leader.

“Changes can be made before the Dewan Rakyat meeting begins or while it is in session, as long as the Speaker’s office is officially notified.

“But there must be an official notification. If the announcement is only made within the party or among politicians, it does not affect my decision,” he told FMT.

“For now, there is no change.”

PN’s Supreme Council decided to appoint Samsuri as opposition leader after agreeing on the matter on May 16.

However, on Saturday, PAS president Abdul Hadi Awang announced that Hamzah would return as opposition leader, some two months after he relinquished the post.

Hadi claimed that the majority of opposition MPs wanted Hamzah to return as opposition leader.

This follows PAS’s decision last week to end its political cooperation with Bersatu.