Speaker of the Dewan Rakyat

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The Speaker of the Dewan Rakyat (Malay: Yang di-Pertua Dewan Rakyat) is the presiding officer of the Dewan Rakyat, the lower house of the Parliament of Malaysia. He is responsible for convening sessions of the Dewan Rakyat, organising debates, and examining the admissibility of petitions, bills and amendments. He determines when a sitting of the House should open and close, and may suspend the sitting for a brief period of time if necessary. He is also in charge of ensuring the Constitution and Standing Orders of the House are given due respect, disciplining members of the House, determining who shall have the floor during a sitting, calling a vote, and checking for a quorum when the House meets. He only participates in a vote when there is a tie. [1] The Speaker also has powers some allege to be excessive, such as imposing limits on the posing of supplementary questions during Question Time — an important procedure for the legislature to examine the government's actions, the power to restrict the tabling of questions for Question Time, and the power to amend written copies of speeches made by members of the House before they are given verbally. [2]

The Speaker is elected to a term that lasts for the length of the term of the Dewan Rakyat that elected him. His term ends when the House is dissolved and a general election is called. He is elected when the House meets for the first time after a general election by the members of the House, who are called MPs. Any MP is qualified to be the Speaker of the House, but non-MPs who meet the same qualifications required to be an MP are also eligible for election as Speaker. A candidate for Speaker must be nominated and seconded by at least two MPs other than himself. This nomination process must be conducted at least 14 days before the election of the Speaker. If only one candidate meets these conditions, he is automatically elected Speaker; otherwise, voting by secret ballot is conducted, with the winner decided by a simple majority. The Clerk (Setiausaha) of the House presides over the voting. [1]

In the absence of the Speaker, one of his deputies, who are also elected in a similar manner, will take his place. [1] As of 2006, the Speaker of the Dewan Rakyat is Ramli bin Ngah Talib, and his deputies are Lim Si Cheng and Haji Yusof bin Yacob. All of them are from the ruling Barisan Nasional coalition.

[edit] List of Speakers of the Dewan Rakyat

  1. Haji Mohamad Noah bin Omar (September 1, 1959 – February 29, 1964)
  2. Syed Esa bin Alwee (May 18, 1964 – November 24, 1964)
  3. Chok Mohamad Yusuf bin Sheikh Abdul Rahman (November 25, 1964 – March 1, 1974)
  4. Haji Nik Ahmad Kamil Haji Nik Mahmood (November 11, 1974 – December 20, 1977)
  5. Syed Nasir bin Ismail (January 9, 1978 – March 16, 1982)
  6. Mohamed Zahir bin Haji Ismail (June 14, 1982 – October 14, 2004)
  7. Ramli bin Ngah Talib (November 22, 2004 – present) [3]

[edit] List of Deputy Speakers of the Dewan Rakyat

  1. Syed Esa bin Alwee (November 25, 1964 – March 19, 1969)
  2. Haji Nik Ahmad Kamil bin Hj Nik Mahmood (March 9, 1971 – July 13, 1974)
  3. Syed Nasir bin Ismail (November 6, 1974 – January 8, 1978)
  4. Azahari bin Md Taib (March 21, 1978 – June 11, 1978)
  5. Mansor bin Othman (October 23, 1978 – March 28, 1982)
  6. Hee Tien Lai (June 14, 1982 – July 26, 1983)
  7. Abdul Hamid bin Pawanteh (July 27, 1983 – July 18, 1986)
  8. D.P. Vijandran (October 8, 1986 – February 23, 1990)
  9. Mohamed Amin bin Haji Daud (October 8, 1986 – June 11, 1990)
  10. Ong Tee Keat (June 11, 1990 – November 10, 1999)
  11. Haji Juhar bin Haji Mahiruddin (December 5, 1990 – November 10, 1999)
  12. Muhammad bin Abdullah (December 20, 1999 – March 4, 2004)
  13. Lim Si Cheng (December 20, 1999 – present)
  14. Haji Yusof bin Yacob (May 17, 2004 – present) [4]

[edit] Notes and references

  1. ^ a b c "Malaysia". Retrieved Dec. 10, 2005.
  2. ^ "Malaysia". Retrieved Feb. 12, 2006.
  3. ^ "Speaker of The House of Representatives". Retrieved Feb. 12, 2006.
  4. ^ "Deputy Speakers of the House of Representatives". Retrieved Feb. 12, 2006.
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