By Karen Bong
KUCHING, Oct 27: Sarawak Legislative Assembly (DUS) Speaker Tan Sri Mohamad Asfia Awang Nasar says he will not retreat if nominated as a candidate in the upcoming Sarawak election.
“If I am nominated, my answer is, ‘pantang mundur’,” he said during a press conference at the DUS Complex media room here today, in response to a question on whether he would accept a nomination, which he addressed jokingly.
Asfia said the Speaker could contest in the election if nominated by the political party to which he belonged.
He explained that, unlike in the past, the Speaker in Sarawak was not required to be an elected assemblyman.
Previously, the Speaker would also stand as a candidate in an election. However, a law was subsequently passed allowing a person to serve as Speaker without being an elected member of the Assembly.
He said the change followed several instances in which Speakers lost their elections, creating a situation where the candidates who defeated them became assemblymen while the defeated candidates continued to serve as Speakers.
“In Sarawak, however, we have a law that does not require the Speaker to be a candidate,” he said.
Earlier on, Asfia informed that he has submitted a formal notice of the dissolution of the Sarawak Assembly to Election Commission (EC) chairman Datuk Seri Ramlan Harun today, with the upcoming State election will involve only 82 seats. — DayakDaily
