PUTRAJAYA: Names have been received for the position of the Dewan Negara president and an announcement will be made once the appointment process is complete, says government spokesman Fahmi Fadzil.
He said the Cabinet had been informed of the vacancy following the appointment of Tun Dr Wan Junaidi Tuanku Jaafar as Sarawak Yang di-Pertua Negeri.
“The meeting was informed that names have been proposed. I will leave it to the Prime Minister to announce the appointment,” he said at a press conference on Wednesday (Feb 7).
Fahmi, who is also Communications Minister, was tight-lipped when asked if only one or several names had been proposed.
He also declined to confirm if the likely candidate was a man.
ALSO READ: Lobbying on for Senate presidency
“I only want to inform you that the process (of appointment) is ongoing, (to be) followed by an announcement later. We will (make it) before the next Dewan Negara session, which will take place sometime in March,” he added.
On Tuesday (Feb 6), The Star reported that with Wan Junaidi now the Sarawak Governor, jostling has begun for the vacant Dewan Negara presidency.
Both Umno and Wan Junaidi’s Gabungan Parti Sarawak (GPS) were said to have indicated that they were keen on the position.
A Putrajaya insider pointed out that since Wan Junaidi and GPS had voluntarily let go of the presidency, the position was now open to other parties.
Deputy Prime Minister Datuk Seri Fadillah Yusof said GPS was expecting one of its leaders to be appointed as the new Speaker of the Upper House but stopped short of confirming that the party would get it, saying they would leave it to the Prime Minister to decide.
One name from the GPS side being bandied about for the position is Muara Tuang assemblyman Datuk Idris Buang.
However, that could prove to be a red herring as Idris is the current Sarawak state legislative assembly deputy speaker.
On the Barisan Nasional side, it is said that Dewan Negara deputy president Datuk Nur Jazlan Mohamed from Umno is being considered for a promotion to the presidency.
