Hopes appointment of Speaker resolved at people's representative level: Mukhriz

ALOR STAR: Kedah Mentri Besar Datuk Seri Mukhriz Mahathir hopes that the appointment of the Speaker of the State Legislative Assembly could be resolved amicably without having to take it to the Sultan of Kedah for consent.
He said if the opposition's elected representatives had the state's interests at heart, they would make it easy for the Speaker to be appointed by supporting the candidate proposed by Pakatan Harapan so that the administrative affairs could be handled immediately.
"As far as possible, try to resolve this at our (state assembly) level, I hope this does not need to be taken to the attention of the Sultan.
"I hope they (the opposition) will help us in the matter of the appointment of the Speaker, the feedback I got from the people is that nobody is interested in another state election, so I will have a discussion with PAS to resolve this issue," he said in a press conference held after attending the Bicara Integriti talk here today.
Earlier, Mukhriz urged the opposition to agree to the proposed Speaker so that all administrative work could go on smoothly, thus avoiding a state election.
This arises from Pakatan Harapan and the opposition holding an equal number of seats (18) while the majority needed to appoint a Speaker was 19.
However Kedah PAS commissioner Dr Ahmad Fakhruddin Fakhrurazi said it was too early to talk about a political situation which could lead to a state election.
"PAS has offered a solution through a "unified government without opposition" to settle this deadlock, but this was rejected by the Mentri Besar," he said. — Bernama