Umno man accuses Bersatu of blocking Ahmad Maslan's appointment

Umno man accuses Bersatu of blocking Ahmad Maslan's appointment

Umno supreme council member Mohd Puad Zarkashi has accused Bersatu and several allied independent MPs of blocking the move to appoint Pontian MP Ahmad Maslan as a Dewan Rakyat deputy speaker.

"Certainly, those who have a grudge against Ahmad are behind it and certainly the 'court cluster' would be their excuse," he wrote on Facebook today.

Puad (above) said the "court cluster" should not be used as an excuse because the federal government, which Bersatu is a part of, had signed a memorandum of understanding (MOU) with Pakatan Harapan, the coalition in which a co-leader, Lim Guan Eng, is facing a criminal trial as well.

"Why the 'double standard'? The MOU involved DAP. Isn't Lim part of the 'court cluster'? He represented DAP in the signing ceremony," Puad added.

There is one vacancy for a deputy speaker in Parliament. Umno nominated Ahmad for the position, while Harapan nominated DAP's Teluk Intan MP Nga Kor Ming.

During the Parliament sitting today, the election of the deputy speaker was postponed. The official reason for this is to allow the government to amend the Federal Constitution during the next sitting in October for a third deputy speaker to be appointed.

From left: Pontian MP Ahmad Maslan, de facto Law Minister Wan Junaidi Tuanku Jaafar and Teluk Intan MP Nga Kor Ming

Ahmad was receptive to the idea of having an opposition MP serve as deputy speaker and he also suggested that one of the deputy speakers should come from East Malaysia.

Meanwhile, Puad urged Prime Minister Ismail Sabri Yaakob not to look weak and buckle to pressure.

"(The situation) is worrying. It has come to the stage of amending the Constitution," he said.