THE Dewan Rakyat postponed the election of a new deputy speaker today to a meeting next year.

The motion to postpone the election was made by Minister in the Prime Minister’s Department (Law and Parliament) Wan Junaidi Tuanku Jaafar and seconded by Energy and Natural Resources Minister Takiyuddin Hassan. 

The government, however, did not give any explanation for the postponement. 

This is the second time Parliament has postponed the election of a new deputy speaker. 

Last month, the government said it was delaying the election because it wanted to increase the number of deputy speakers from two to three.

The election of a new deputy speaker was on the agenda today, to replace Azalina Othman Said (Pengerang-BN) who resigned on August 23. 

Instead, Wan Junaidi proposed for the Dewan Rakyat to finalise the debate on the cancellation of the seven emergency ordinances that were passed this year. 

On January 11, former prime minister Muhyiddin Yassin announced the emergency proclamation to give the Perikatan Nasional government more power to combat the Covid-19 epidemic.

At the time, his administration approved seven ordinances without legislative scrutiny or approval.

These include laws to increase the fines for breaking standard operating procedures, allowing federal and state governments to use government funds without legislative approval and for the government to use private hospital facilities to help fight the epidemic. – October 25, 2021.