By Danial Dzulkifly
SHAH ALAM, Sept 19 – Newly-appointed Selangor Speaker Lau Weng San has reaffirmed his dedication to impartiality and vowed to provide an equal platform to both the opposition and government benches to voice their concerns in the state legislative assembly.
His statement comes in the wake of an animated first sitting of the new assembly today which saw state opposition leader and Hulu Kelang assemblyman Datuk Seri Mohamed Azmin Ali repeatedly interjecting over the procedure for electing the Speaker and Deputy Speaker.
Lau acknowledged the concerns raised by Azmin as legitimate, considering that there has not been any election for the Speaker’s position for over a decade.
The DAP leader also anticipates more dynamic state assembly sessions throughout this term.
“This is an inherent part of the election process for the Speaker, given that we’ve not seen an election for the chair since 2008.
“Regardless of the particular matter or concern, I will utilise the state assembly as a proper platform to address issues raised by its members.
“I want to reiterate my commitment to impartiality and will ensure fair opportunity for all, be they from the opposition or the government, to voice their thoughts on pressing matters,” he said in his maiden press conference as the Speaker at the State Legislative Assembly building, here, today.
Earlier this morning, during the election of the new Speaker and Deputy Speaker, Azmin raised several issues pertaining to its process.
Among other things, he suggested that a counting agent from both benches be appointed to witness the process of vote-counting, in the spirit of transparency.
State assembly secretary J. Gayathri Prasena later agreed to read out the names of candidates voted by the elected representatives.
Separately, the Selangor Perikatan Nasional chairman brought up concerns regarding assemblymen allegedly not adhering to the formal attire guidelines for state assembly sessions.
He pointed out that men are supposedly required to wear a dark or black lounge suit, while women should don black or dark jackets, after several assemblymen from the government bench wore red attire.
Lau later clarified that this issue would be assessed by a special select committee comprising members from both the opposition and government.
He emphasised that the attire guidelines will be reconsidered by the committee, with updates made to ensure they remain relevant and contemporary.
“Such regulations aren’t static. They need to be revised to mirror both the revolution of time and Selangor’s diverse culture,” he said.