Takiyuddin said this is because Samsuri currently holds the positions of Terengganu menteri besar and Perikatan Nasional (PN) chairman.

“As the PN chairman previously said, the opposition leader will be appointed before the end of the month or early next month. PAS has not made a final decision yet,” Berita Harian reported him as saying in Kota Bharu today.

Takiyuddin, who is also PN secretary-general and Kota Bharu MP, said considerations would take into account whether appointing Samsuri would disrupt his duties as menteri besar.

“In 1999, (PAS president) Abdul Hadi Awang served as both Terengganu menteri besar and opposition leader. It was not an issue then. We will look at the current situation,” he said.

Yesterday, Sungai Buloh PAS chief Zaharudin Muhammad, also Hadi’s son-in-law, expressed hope that Kemaman MP Samsuri would be appointed opposition leader to better coordinate activities in Parliament.

In a Facebook post, he said appointing Samsuri would help prevent conflicting positions during parliamentary debates, as Samsuri also serves as PN chairman.

Zaharudin was commenting on a statement by former Bersatu deputy president Hamzah Zainudin that he was willing to step down as opposition leader if the majority of PN MPs supported it.