Amanah secretary rejects, while MP Hassan backs proposal to give opposition leader agenda power

During an interview, Amanah secretary general Faiz Fadzil dismissed the notion of granting the opposition chief a formal role in setting the Dewan Rakyat agenda, saying Malaysia lacks the necessary opposition maturity for such a check-and-balance system. He pointed to the United Kingdom and Canada as examples where mature opposition parties perform this function, and highlighted recent incidents where opposition MPs left the chamber during a royal commission debate on Tabung Haji.

Faiz also criticized the opposition's indecision over its own leadership, noting the brief tenure of Ahmad Samsuri Mokhtar before Hamzah Zainudin resumed the role despite PAS being the largest opposition bloc. Meanwhile, Pasir Gudang MP Hassan Abdul Karim welcomed Saifuddin Abdullah's proposal to assign the opposition leader agenda-setting duties, urging that the matter be referred to the Committee of Privileges for study.

He said any agreement on the scope of the role would require amending the House Standing Orders, which currently give the prime minister and the Speaker full control over parliamentary business. Hassan argued that such a reform could strengthen legislative oversight and reinforce the separation of powers following the Parliament Service Act.