KUALA LUMPUR: Tan Sri Dr Wan Junaidi Tuanku Jaafar has been nominated as the new Dewan Negara speaker.
Confirming the news to Free Malaysia Today (FMT), the former law minister will be replacing Tan Sri Rais Yatim, whose term ended yesterday.
"Yes, I can confirm that I have been named by the government (as Dewan Negara speaker)," he was quoted as saying by FMT.
Wan Junaidi, 78, was minister in the Prime Minister's Department (Parliament and Law) during Datuk Seri Ismail Sabri Yaakob's administration, and was former entrepreneur development and cooperatives minister during the Tan Sri Muhyiddin Yassin-led government. He is a seven-term member of parliament, serving Batang Lupar (1990-2004) and Santubong until 2022. He was also Dewan Rakyat deputy speaker from 2008 to 2013.
Earlier, news portal Malaysiakini had reported sources as saying that Wan Junaidi's nomination for the post had been agreed to by the unity government under Prime Minister Datuk Seri Anwar Ibrahim as he had vast legal experience. The official announcement will be made on Monday.
Quoting several sources from Barisan Nasional, the online portal also reported that the government would nominate former Pulai MP Datuk Nur Jazlan Mohamed as the deputy speaker.