THE Perikatan Nasional supreme council has decided that there is no need for a third deputy Dewan Rakyat speaker, its chairman Muhyiddin Yassin said.

He said a third deputy speaker was not one of the terms in the government’s memorandum of understanding with opposition Pakatan Harapan.

“Perikatan Nasional is of the opinion that the cooperation between the government and the opposition is only limited to the issues agreed upon in the MOU of transformation and political stability signed by the prime minister and PH on September 13,” Muhyiddin said in a statement today.

“Amending the constitution to add the role of a third deputy speaker was not agreed upon in the MOU. Therefore it is not fair for any party to demand that this be executed.”

Muhyiddin said the two deputy speakers as stipulated in Article 57(1)(b) of the Federal Constitution was enough to ensure the smooth running of the Dewan Rakyat.

He noted that Article 57(3) also stipulated that any MP can chair a Dewan Rakyat meeting in the absence of the speaker and his two deputies.

Last month on the first day of the Parliament sitting, a motion to replace deputy speaker Azalina Othman Said was called off 

De facto law minister Wan Junaidi Tuanku Jaafar said this was because the government was considering creating the position of a third deputy speaker for the opposition.

Such a move requires an amendment to Article 57(1)(b) of the Federal Constitution.

In an agreement with the opposition, the government has promised to deliver three major reforms by the middle of next year.

They are the creation on an anti-party hopping law, implementation of Undi18 and automatic voter registration, and setting a two-term limit for the prime minister.

Various parliamentary reforms are also in the agreement, including the parliamentary services bill, which seeks to restore autonomy to the House over its finances and administration. – October 7, 2021.