LFL adviser N Surendran said in a statement that this was because Johari was also the state assemblyman for Gurun in Kedah.
He noted that by virtue of Article 57(4) of the Federal Constitution, a state assemblyman who is elected speaker of the Dewan Rakyat must “resign from the assembly before exercising the functions of his office”.
Surendran was commenting on reports that Johari might be nominated for the post of Dewan Rakyat speaker by the Pakatan Harapan government.
He said: “A by-election is no small matter; it will be held at heavy cost to the public. Further, it will be grossly unfair to the voters of Gurun, who have just gone to the polls and elected their state representative.”
He said there were many other qualified candidates who could be nominated for the job of speaker.
“Further, although PH formed the Kedah state government, the state assembly is already deadlocked with 18 PH against 18 PAS and Umno representatives.
“Plunging into an avoidable by-election in Gurun would be a risky and unwise move by PH, given the already precarious balance of power.”
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