KUALA LUMPUR, Jul 16 – The election of retired Court of Appeal judge Datuk Mohamad Ariff Md Yusof as the new Speaker of the Dewan Rakyat is one of the efforts to bring about parliamentary reform, the Prime Minister’s Office (PMO) said today.
It said in a statement that improvements to Parliament were a priority of the Pakatan Harapan (PH) government. There had been extensive discussions and the decision to nominate Mohamad Ariff was made based on consensus among the top leaders of the parties. The PH coalition comprises Parti Pribumi Bersatu Malaysia (PPBM), PKR, DAP and Amanah.
“A non-partisan stand is important for someone who is assigned to bring about parliamentary reform,” the statement said. Mohamad Ariff, 69, was proclaimed as the ninth Speaker of the Dewan Rakyat at today’s sitting of the House in the first meeting of the first session of the 14th Parliament. — Bernama
