Speaker of the Dewan Rakyat


The Speaker of the House of Representatives is the highest-ranking 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.
In the absence of the Speaker, one of his deputies will take his place. The most recent Speaker of the Dewan Rakyat, independent Mohamad Arif Md Yusof, was removed from office on 13 July 2020. His deputies were Mohd Rashid Hasnon and Nga Kor Ming.

Functions

The Speaker 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. 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.

Speaker election

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. Two deputy Speakers are elected in a similar manner.
The Secretary of the House presides over the voting.

List of Speakers of the Dewan Rakyat

Election results

Living former Speakers

The Dewan Rakyat shall be from time to time elect two deputy speakers from among members of the House. During any vacancy in the office of Speaker or during any absence of the Speaker from any sitting, one of the Deputy Speakers or, if both the Deputy Speakers are absent or if both their offices are vacant, such other member as may be determined by the rules of procedure of the House, shall act as Speaker.
ParliamentNo.Deputy SpeakerTerm startTerm end
2nd
1964-1969		1Syed Esa Alwee25 November 196420 March 1969
3rd
1971-1974		2Nik Ahmad Kamil Nik Mahmud9 March 197131 July 1974
4th
1974-1978		3Syed Nasir Ismail6 November 19748 January 1978
4th
1974-1978		4Azahari Md. Taib21 March 197812 June 1978
5th
1978-1982		5Mansor Othman23 October 197829 March 1982
6th
1982-1986		6Hee Tien Lai14 June 198226 July 1983
6th
1982-1986		7Abdul Hamid Pawanteh26 October 198419 July 1986
7th
1986-1990		8D. P. Vijandran8 October 198623 February 1990
7th
1986-1990		9Mohamed Amin Daud8 October 19864 October 1990
7th
1986-1990		10Ong Tee Keat11 June 19904 October 1990
8th
1990-1995		Ong Tee Keat5 December 19906 April 1995
8th
1990-1995		11Juhar Mahiruddin5 December 19906 April 1995
9th
1995-1999		Ong Tee Keat12 June 199510 November 1999
9th
1995-1999		Juhar Mahiruddin12 June 199510 November 1999
10th
1999-2004		12Muhammad Abdullah20 December 19994 March 2004
10th
1999-2004		13Lim Si Cheng20 December 19994 March 2004
11th
2004-2008		Lim Si Cheng17 May 200413 February 2008
11th
2004-2008		14Yusof Yacob17 May 200413 February 2008
12th
2008-2013		15Wan Junaidi Tuanku Jaafar28 April 20083 April 2013
12th
2008-2013		16Ronald Kiandee28 April 20083 April 2013
13th
2013-2018		Ronald Kiandee24 June 201310 May 2018
13th
2013-2018		17Ismail Mohamed Said24 June 201310 May 2018
14th
2018-Incumbent		18Mohd Rashid Hasnon16 July 2018Incumbent
14th
2018-Incumbent		19Nga Kor Ming16 July 201813 July 2020
14th
2018-Incumbent		20Azalina Othman Said13 July 2020Incumbent
14th
2018-Incumbent		----

Election results

Living former Deputy Speakers