Tan Sri Azhar Azizan Harun. - Filepic/The Star
PETALING JAYA: After officially stepping down as Speaker when Parliament reconvenes on Dec 19, an upbeat Tan Sri Azhar Azizan Harun plans to return to legal practice.“That’s all that I am good at,” he said.
However, he refused to comment on speculation that he was initially nominated as Speaker candidate by Perikatan Nasional.
“No comment,” he said briefly.
At the same time, Azhar said he might speak out on certain issues in the future.
“As I said, I’m really impulsive on this (expressing opinions). I wouldn’t rule that out,” he added.
Recently, sources indicated that Perikatan had nominated former home minister Tan Sri Radzi Sheikh Ahmad as their candidate for Speaker.
Azhar, better known as Art Harun, left his law practice in September 2018 after former premier Tun Dr Mahathir Mohamad appointed him as the Election Commission (EC) chairman.
He resigned as EC chairman in July 2020 and was subsequently appointed as Dewan Rakyat Speaker.
Earlier on Dec 2, Azhar said he would have to step down as Speaker at the stroke of midnight on Dec 18.
Azhar’s appointment as Speaker in 2020 was unopposed as then Speaker Tan Sri Mohamad Ariff Md Yusof was asked to vacate the post.
Former three-term Sungai Petani MP Datuk Johari Abdul has recently said that his name was submitted by Pakatan Harapan as a candidate for Speaker.
On Dec 19 and 20, Parliament will reconvene for two days, with the first item on the agenda being the election of a new Speaker.
This will be followed by the swearing-in of MPs and the election of the Deputy Speaker.
The meeting will also see a motion of confidence on Prime Minister Datuk Seri Anwar Ibrahim’s majority in the Dewan Rakyat.
