Johari told FMT that he made the decision to avoid triggering a by-election. He is also the Gurun assemblyman in Kedah.
“Article 57(4) of the Federal Constitution clearly states that if a speaker is chosen from among the assemblymen, he must vacate his state seat.
“I am not ready to do that. So the speaker’s post will go to someone else. So my name is out of the running.”
However, Johari declined to reveal the names of the other candidates for the speaker’s post and said an announcement would be made by Prime Minister Dr Mahathir Mohamad.
There have been protests from some, including G25, the group of former senior civil servants, who said that Johari’s past involvement in the controversial Barisan Nasional-era agency, National Civics Bureau (BTN), disqualified him from the post.
Earlier today, sources told FMT that retired judges Mohamad Ariff Md Yusof and Mohd Hishamudin Yunos were tipped to be the Dewan Rakyat speaker.
The two were favoured not only because of their knowledge of the law, but also due to the absence of any political loyalty displayed during their time on the bench.
Both judges retired in 2015. They were known for several judgments not favourable to the authorities, especially in cases related to draconian laws such as the now-defunct Internal Security Act and Official Secrets Act.
Johari Abdul as speaker will trigger by-election, says lawyers body