KUALA LUMPUR, March 7 — Pakatan Rakyat (PR) will appoint a senior MP to stand in for Datuk Seri Anwar Ibrahim as Opposition Leader in Parliament tomorrow.PKR secretary-general Saifuddin Nasution told reporters today that the pact’s leadership will meet to discuss the matter before the session commences in the morning.
Anwar (picture), the PR de facto leader, is suspended from the House, along with three other MPs — Karpal Singh (DAP-Bukit Gelugor), Azmin Ali (PKR-Gombak) and R. Sivarasa (PKR-Subang).
The four were issued six-month suspension orders during the last Parliament session in December last year over Anwar’s infamous APCO-Israel jibe.
Anwar was suspended for linking Prime Minister Datuk Seri Najib Razak’s 1 Malaysia brainchild to Israel’s “1 Israel” campaign, saying that the government’s public relations consultancy APCO Worldwide had masterminded both initiatives.
The other three were suspended for allegedly committing contempt of the House when they revealed confidential proceedings of the Rights and Privileges Committee’s investigations into Anwar’s accusations.
“We will continue our duties as usual but we will appoint someone to stand in Anwar’s place.
“I met with (DAP adviser) Lim Kit Siang just now, and tomorrow we will decide who will take on the role of Opposition Leader for Anwar’s speech,” Saifuddin said after Parliament was opened this morning.
He stressed that this did not mean that Anwar was being replaced as the pact’s Opposition Leader.
“A senior MP will just be appointed to read his speech,” he said.
The Opposition Leader in the House is scheduled to kick off the first round of debates tomorrow on the motion of thanks on the royal speech delivered by the Yang di-Pertuan Agong Tuanku Mizan Zainal Abidin this morning.
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