KUALA LUMPUR: Incumbent Dewan Rakyat Speaker Tan Sri Azhar Azizan Harun plans to return to his law practice after stepping down from his post when the 15th Dewan Rakyat sits on Dec 19.
It is understood that he turned down Perikatan Nasional's (PN) offer to be re-nominated for the Speaker's post.
FMT reported that sources told the new portal that the coalition has now nominated former home minister Datuk Seri Mohd Radzi Sheikh Ahmad for the post.
When contacted, Azhar declined to comment on rumours that he had declined the PN's offer.
The former Election Commission (EC) chairman however said he will go back to his law practice after the stint as Speaker of the Lower House of Parliament officially ends.
"I have always said if the majority do not want me, I would go quietly and that's what I am doing. I will go back to my law practice," he told FMT.
Azhar left his law practice in September 2018 after he was appointed EC chairman by then-prime minister Tun Dr Mahathir Mohamad under the former Pakatan Harapan (PH) government.
He then quit as EC chairman and was made Dewan Rakyat Speaker in July 2020, four months after the collapse of the PH government, following the Sheraton Move.
Asked if he would go back to "activism", Azhar said he was never an activist nor fashioned himself as one.
"I am just an individual with an opinion on certain issues. It just so happened that sometimes people agreed with my opinions and some political parties did so too. But that did not make me an activist or aligned with those political parties.
"But I am not saying that I will not continue (to express an opinion) as I am impulsive in that respect. Things happen and I may just voice out what I think.
"These things are not planned. I may have a public interest case and I will voice it out. I really can't say," he said.
The process of electing a Speaker will be the first order of the sitting if there is a contest, otherwise, the secretary will proclaim his replacement who will then take his or her oath.
Among the names touted for the post is former three-term PKR Sungai Petani MP Johari Abdul, who is said to be the frontrunner as the PH nominee.
According to sources, PH is also expected to nominate DAP's Lanang MP Alice Lau as deputy speaker candidate while BN has proposed that its Cameron Highlands Member of Parliament Datuk Ramli Md Nor remain as the other deputy speaker.