Party secretary-general Lim Guan Eng said today it would hold discussions on recall elections, anti-hopping laws and parliamentary reforms with her.

In a statement, he said DAP national deputy chairman and Puchong MP Gobind Singh Deo met Azalina, who is the Pengerang MP and former deputy speaker, recently to discuss her proposals on recall elections and anti-hopping laws.

“(We hope) she is willing to put her name forward to replace Azhar Azizan Harun to restore Parliament’s image and credibility damaged by Azhar’s subservience to the Executive,” he said.

DAP would also seek her views on how she would preside differently from Azhar, he said, adding that Parliament could not operate in a political vacuum with the speaker playing a role to prop up the prime minister.

“If Parliament had been permitted to fulfill its check and balance role and convene during the emergency, the current Covid-19 and economic crisis could have been mitigated,” he said.

Should she be appointed speaker, Lim urged Azalina to set out plans to avoid Parliament becoming a mere rubber-stamp of the prime minister and to establish parliamentary sovereignty as laid out by the Federal Constitution.

“The people want Parliament to be the key institution of democracy, to make a positive difference in the lives of Malaysians,” he said.

Lim said DAP also supported Azalina’s recent suggestion to appoint an opposition MP as deputy speaker. The Pakatan Harapan coalition has proposed former deputy speaker and Teluk Intan MP Nga Kor Ming for the post.