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KUCHING, June 19: Tan Sri Dr Wan Junaidi Tuanku Jaafar has been sworn in as the new Dewan Negara president in Kuala Lumpur today.
Prime Minister Dato Seri Anwar Ibrahim nominated Wan Junaidi for the position. The nomination was seconded by Minister of Investment, Trade, and Industry Datuk Seri Tengku Zafrul Abdul Aziz.
Wan Junaidi who is a former Minister in the Prime Minister’s Department (Parliament and Law) replaces Tan Sri Dr Rais Yatim to become the 19th president of Dewan Negara.
Rais was Senate president from Sept 2, 2020 until his term ended on June 15 this year.
Wan Junaidi, who is also a former Santubong MP, was the sole nominee for the post.
In a brief address after taking his oath as the Senate’s president, Wan Junaidi thanked Anwar for his appointment and pledged to continue pursuing parliamentary reforms.
He stated that he intends to pursue the reinstatement of the Parliamentary Services Act, the revision of the Houses of Parliament (Privileges and Powers) Act, and the introduction of formal ethical guidelines for Senate and Dewan Rakyat members.
“In the context of Malaysian politics, an MP’s job and responsibility is not to fight and play politics in the hall; rather, they are meant to legislate laws and pass the nation’s budget in order to serve the people.”
Wan Junaidi expressed that despite his initial intention to retire from politics, he readily responded to the call to serve his country.
“As many of you are aware, I have already retired from politics and government service.
“However, the call of service is more important than what I had planned,” he said.
Additionally, the former law minister under the administration of former Prime Minister Dato Sri Ismail Sabri Yaakob revealed that Sarawak Premier Datuk Patinggi Tan Sri Abang Johari Tun Openg called him personally last week to inform him of Anwar’s wish for him to assume the position.
Prior to becoming the Senate’s president, Wan Junaidi was sworn in as a senator alongside former minister of religious affairs Datuk Seri Mujahid Yusof Rawa and former deputy home minister Datuk Seri Nur Jazlan Mohamed.
Wan Junaidi and Nur Jazlan were appointed by the Yang di-Pertuan Agong while Mujahid was elected by the Perak State Legislative Assembly on May 25 to represent the state as a senator.
At the Upper House, all three took the oath of office before acting president of the Dewan Negara, Senator Professor Datuk Seri Dr Awang Sariyan.
Nur Jazlan was elected as the Dewan Negara deputy president after he obtained 43 votes. Datuk Razali Idris who was also nominated for the post received 11 votes. Eight members were absent
The second meeting of the second session of Dewan Negara will sit for six days from today. — DayakDaily
