GEORGE TOWN: Penang Perikatan Nasional (PN) has not decided on who will be the Opposition leader in the state legislative assembly as the decision lies with the PN leadership.
Sungai Dua assemblyman Muhammad Fauzi Yusoff, who is also state PAS commissioner, said the state PN has already sent the list of candidates to the coalition leadership.
“We are trying to resolve this (opposition leader post) but it could not be finalised this morning and we hope the PN central leadership will come to a decision soon so that a letter can be issued to the Penang legislative assembly secretary.
“We have shortlisted the list of representatives from PAS and Bersatu … the candidate for the opposition leader post will be announced before the state assembly convenes in November,” he told reporters after the swearing-in ceremony for 40 assemblymen here today.
He said that among the names proposed to the PN leadership were his and Penang Bersatu chief Zulkefli Bakar, who is also the Penanti assemblyman.
Muhammad Fauzi denied that there was a problem in deciding on the appointment of the opposition leader and stressed that it was being finalised by the PN leadership.
“It is not an issue. In fact this is also being finalised in the other states, namely Selangor, Negeri Sembilan and Penang,” he said.
The Pakatan Harapan-Barisan Nasional (PH-BN) coalition won 29 out of the 40 state assembly seats in the state election held on Aug 12.
DAP managed to retain all 19 state seats it won in the 2018 general election while PKR (seven), Amanah (one) and BN (two).
PN won 11 seats with PAS controlling seven seats namely Sungai Dua, Permatang Pasir, Pulau Betong, Sungai Bakap, Permatang Berangan, Pinang Tunggal, and Penaga while Bersatu won four in Penanti, Telok Ayer Tawar, Telok Bahang and Seberang Jaya.
Previously, the state’s opposition leader was former Bertam assemblyman Khaliq Mehtab Ishaq while former Sungai Dua assemblyman from BN, Datuk Muhamad Yusoff Noor was the opposition leader from August 2018 until the BN-PH alliance formed the unity government. – BERNAMA
