The swearing-in of all the 40 assemblymen will take place tomorrow morning.

A PAS insider told FMT that the Perikatan Nasional (PN) central leadership had discussed the matter but no decision has been announced.

However, according to a Bersatu insider, the state PN leadership is still negotiating if the opposition leader should be from PAS or Bersatu.

“No assemblyman has been directly involved in any discussion,” the Bersatu source said.

“I think the top leadership is advising the state (PN leadership) to negotiate the matter well. I think it will be resolved soon.”

PN won 11 seats in the Aug 12 state election, with PAS taking seven (Sungai Dua, Permatang Pasir, Pulau Betong, Sungai Bakap, Permatang Berangan, Pinang Tunggal, and Penaga) and Bersatu four (Penanti, Telok Ayer Tawar, Telok Bahang and Seberang Jaya).

PN component Gerakan failed to win a single seat.

Meanwhile, former state opposition leader Khaliq Mehtab Ishaq said it was not necessary for the coalition to decide on who would be named opposition leader before the swearing-in ceremony.

He added that it was up to the central and state PN leadership to discuss the matter and make a decision.

“I hope this issue will be resolved as soon as possible though,” the former Bertam assemblyman said.

Barisan Nasional’s former Sungai Dua assemblyman, Yusoff Noor, was the opposition leader from August 2018 until BN formed the unity federal government with Pakatan Harapan (PH).

Khaliq became the opposition leader on March 3 this year, until his seat was vacated three days later.

He was one of the four former assemblymen from Bersatu who were forced to vacate their seats for party-hopping in 2020. They had won their seats in the 14th general election (GE14) on a PH ticket.