By Yasmin Ramlan
SHAH ALAM, May 27 — Selat Kelang assemblyman Datuk Abdul Rashid Asari will no longer be seated with his Opposition colleagues in the Selangor State Legislative Assembly following his recent declaration of support for Menteri Besar Dato’ Seri Amirudin Shari.
Speaker Lau Weng San said the Bersatu lawmaker will be assigned a new seat upon the assembly’s resumption in July.
“This (new position) is because he supported Amirudin’s leadership. As such, he (Rashid) will not sit with the Opposition.
“He is considered a government supporter and will be seated between the government and Opposition benches.
“However, since he is a senior assemblyman of two terms, he will be seated towards the front,” he said during a press conference at the State Assembly building today.
In March, Rashid publicly declared his support for Amirudin, citing Perikatan Nasional (PN) leaders’ silence over the alleged display of insolence by PAS president Tan Sri Abdul Hadi Awang towards the Malay Rulers as among the reasons behind his decision.
He said his decision was made voluntarily without any coercion.
Other reasons for supporting the state government were to ensure the well-being of his constituents in Selat Klang and to recognise Selangor’s commitment to progress.
On a separate matter, Lau said newly-elected Kuala Kubu Baharu state assemblyman Pang Sock Tao will be sworn in on July 4, the first day of the state assembly sitting.
“This is necessary because the Kuala Kubu Baharu seat was previously vacant,” he said.
In the May 11 by-election, Pang led Pakatan Harapan to victory in Kuala Kubu Baharu with a 3,869 vote majority.
She secured a total of 14,000 votes, beating PN’s Khairul Azhari Saut (10,131 votes), Parti Rakyat Malaysia’s Hafizah Zainuddin (152 votes), and Independent candidate Nyau Ke Xin (188 votes).
