PAS Youth information chief Nadzir Helmi said the opposition bloc should focus on the important bills that will be debated in the Dewan Rakyat instead of changing opposition leaders at this critical juncture.

“We respect Bersatu’s right to manage its internal issues. But in the Dewan Rakyat, (the former Bersatu MPs) still remain part of the opposition bloc.

“With just two days of Dewan Rakyat sittings left for this meeting, several important bills will and are being debated on. In this critical period, naming a new opposition leader makes it seem that the bloc is unstable, weakening our arguments and coordination in Parliament.

“The priority at this moment should be defending the people’s rights through our parliamentary debates, not the polemic of the opposition leader’s post,” he said in a statement.

Nadzir added that the question of the opposition leader’s post could be hashed out in an orderly manner within PN after the Dewan Rakyat meeting is over.

He expressed confidence that the PAS and PN leaderships would be able to make a mature decision on the matter for the sake of the coalition’s stability. “In this crucial time, we must prioritise the people. Positions are not the priority.”

Earlier, PN chief whip Takiyuddin Hassan said Hamzah would continue leading the opposition in the Dewan Rakyat despite being sacked from Bersatu on Feb 13.

Takiyuddin, the PAS secretary-general, added that PN was unlikely to name a new opposition leader for this parliamentary meeting, since there are only two days of sittings left.

Bersatu information chief Tun Faisal Ismail Aziz had said Hamzah should be considered an independent MP and not part of the opposition bloc.

On the other hand, Bersatu associate wing vice-chief R Sri Sanjeevan accused PAS of dragging its feet on replacing Hamzah, questioning if it was “afraid of being opposition leader”.