Subscribe to our Telegram channel for our latest stories and breaking news.
Former Dewan Rakyat deputy speaker Datuk Seri Azalina Othman has been appointed as Special Advisor to the Prime Minister
Azalina, who is from UMNO, will now advise Datuk Seri Ismail Sabri Yaakob on law and human rights matters.
She thanked Ismail for her appointment in a Facebook post earlier today, 2 October.
Separately, Free Malaysia Today also reported the former law minister as confirming the matter, saying that she received her appointment letter from Ismail on Thursday, 30 September.
Image via Free Malaysia Today
On 23 August, the UMNO Supreme Council member had resigned as the deputy speaker, saying it was difficult for her to stay impartial
At the time, Azalina gave four reasons for her decision to step down from the post.
Among them is the conflict of responsibility of being the deputy speaker while also being from UMNO and a member of Parliament (MP) under the government, a combination which she said challenged her moral capacity.
“Past events have revealed conflicting decisions within UMNO as a party and MPs of a coalition government,” she wrote, adding, “In future, speakers and deputy speakers of Dewan Rakyat should be suspended from any political party posts to ensure political impartiality, which is a key feature of the office, so he or she can effectively function without fear or favour.”
Following her resignation, Azalina called on the government to show its seriousness about reforms by appointing deputy speaker from the Opposition
“It (the deputy speaker post) should be replaced by an opposition member. But the motion must be by the government,” she said, explaining that if the opposition brings the motion then there will be fights.
“It’s the best opportunity for the Prime Minister to offer that post as a gesture, to start the ball rolling because the reforms will take time and it’s not going to be a one-day sitting and we will be done.”