AMANAH Terengganu Youth chief Zamir Ghazali is adamant that PAS president Tan Sri Hadi Awang makes the best bet for the currently vacant Opposition leader post although by virtue of coalition hierarchy Tan Sri Muhyiddin Yassin helms Perikatan Nasional (PN) as its chairman.
“I’m serious about this suggestion. For religion, nation and land,” he penned in a recent Facebook post.
“With TS Tuan Guru as the Opposition leader, it means that the country has two Islamic figures (the other is Prime Minister Datuk Seri Anwar Ibrahim) highly respected by the world’s scholars to act as check and balance in Parliament. He is a gift from God for the Malay Muslim community in particular.”
That aside, Zamir’s view makes valid sense as PAS won 49 parliamentary seats in the 15th General Election (GE15) and emerged as the single largest party in the Dewan Rakyat (DAP comes in second with 40). Moreover, Hadi also had served as Opposition leader from 2002 to 2004.
“The wisdom of the PAS’ president as Opposition leader is reflected in the comprehensive authority of PAS as the party that represents the voice of the majority of Malays and Muslims in Malaysia,” he further elaborated in a statement today.
As both septuagenarians (Hadi and Muhyiddin are 75) battle for the coveted Opposition leader post, PN’s Federal Territories’ information chief Mahathir Mohd Rais deemed that former Home Minister Datuk Seri Hamzah Zainuddin, who is also the coalition’s secretary-general, suits the role best.
“His experiences in the ministry have been locally known as remarkable. It can be said that the way he does his work proves the quality that our party would need now to reassemble the distortion that exists from within,” he told FocusM when asked if Muhyiddin would pave the way for Hadi to be the Opposition leader when Parliament convenes on Dec 19.
“As TS Muhyiddin Yassin has previously mentioned that his retirement will happen soon, it is only logical that we start picking the right leader to lead us, and it is clear that DS Hamzah is the perfect replacement.”
Mahathir also acknowledged that picking the right leader to lead PN and delivering the core messages it has for the country’s betterment should be the next biggest agenda from the opposition’s side.
“This is an important aspect when it comes to strengthening the credibility that the opposition has. The rakyat must be able to depend on the opposition to ensure that issues such as poverty, neglect and decreases in financial aid from the government are heard and delivered to the Parliament.” – Dec 5, 2022
