FORMER Court of Appeal judge Mohamad Ariff Md Yusof today confirmed that he has been nominated as Dewan Rakyat speaker, and will have to go through a vote before taking up the post.

“I have not been appointed, only nominated. I am an outsider. We will see what happens tomorrow,” he told The Malaysian Insight minutes after Prime Minister Dr Mahathir Mohamad announced in Sarawak that he has been picked for the post.

“Yes, I will be going to the Dewan Rakyat on Monday. The MPs will vote in the Lower House.

“We will wait and see what happens tomorrow. The PM already announced that I will be going to Parliament.”

Dr Mahathir today told reporters in Kuching that Ariff will be the new Dewan Rakyat speaker.

The first meeting of the first session of the 14th Parliament will run for 20 days, between July 16 and August 16.

The proceedings on the first day will begin with Dr Mahathir tabling the first motion for the election of the Dewan Rakyat speaker.

Other names previously thrown in the hat were former judge Mohd Hishamuddin Yunus and Sungai Petani MP Johari Abdul Ghani.

PKR’s Johari withdrew himself after he was told that he must quit as Gurun assemblyman to be eligible for the speaker’s post.

DAP’s Lim Kit Siang and former minister Rais Yatim, of Bersatu, were also considered for the post. – July 15, 2018.