IPOH, July 19 — Perak PAS said today it will not be involved in the selection of the Opposition leader in the state legislative assembly.

It said Barisan Nasional (BN) will decide on the matter as the three-party group holds the biggest number of seats, after the ruling Pakatan Harapan (PH) state coalition.

"PAS only has three seats, so we don’t make a difference to the selection of the opposition chief.

"PAS is in the Gagasan Sejahtera bloc. Umno is in the BN bloc, and their 25 assemblymen are loyal to BN,” Perak PAS commissioner Razman Zakaria told Malay Mail. "It is up to them, because they have a majority in the Opposition,” he added. Questions were raised regarding the identity of the Perak assembly Opposition chief after the June 30 Umno elections. Before this, former mentri besar Datuk Seri Zamby Abd Kadir acted as the de facto Opposition chief during the last assembly sitting on July 3.

Previously, Zambry said that BN would consult PAS on the choice for state Opposition leader.

However, he had noted that his capacity to lead the Opposition would hinge on whether or not he would serve as state BN chief.

After the Umno polls, Kota Tampan assemblyman Datuk Saarani Mohamad was appointed as Perak Umno liaison chief. At the moment, PH holds a majority in the state assembly with 31 assemblymen loyal to them. PAS has three assemblymen, and BN has 25. PH had originally won 29 seats in GE14, but managed to form the majority when Sungai Manik assemblyman Datuk Zainol Fadzi Paharudin and Tualang Sekah assemblyman announced their support for current mentri besar Ahmad Faizal Azumu. Before that, there were rumours that BN would be working with PAS to form a coalition government. However, this failed to take place. This development appears to indicate a clear line between the BN and PAS assemblymen. Asked if PAS would recommend a name for the opposition chief, Razman replied that the party had received a signal during the election of the state legislative assembly Speaker. "During the election of the Speaker, PAS-Gagasan Sejahtera submitted a name, but did not get support. We have passed on this signal to the voters,” Razman said. Razman was lukewarm when asked if PAS would consider entering discussions with BN regarding the appointment of an Opposition chief. "Discussions will not have an effect. It is up to BN because they have a majority without PAS,” he replied. Meanwhile, newly appointed Perak Umno liaision chief Saarani said there had been no official discussions on who would take on the post of Opposition chief, adding that nothing had been confirmed. The post of Opposition chief leader has attracted more attention, as the new PH government has promised to officially recognise the post.

In the future, the Opposition leader will be appointed as chairman of the assembly’s Public Accounts Committee to provide a check and balance for the government of the day. The official Opposition leader will also be given an assistant and a room with all the facilities necessary for him or her to carry out their duties.