KUALA LUMPUR, Dec 5 — Parti Pribumi Bersatu Malaysia (Bersatu) supreme council member Datuk Mohd Rashid Hasnon reportedly revealed that Perikatan Nasional (PN) will be sending its proposed names for the role of Dewan Rakyat Speaker today.

However, according to a report by Malay daily Utusan Malaysia, he did not reveal the names of the PN’s candidates for the post.

"PN central supreme council will send the names before the deadline before office hours,” said the former deputy Speaker.

This comes as former de facto law minister Datuk Seri Wan Junaidi Tuanku Jaafar and former Dewan Rakyat Speaker Tan Sri Mohamad Ariff Md Yusof were rumoured to be named as the government’s proposed names for the role.

Wan Junaidi however reportedly said that he has not been informed about any candidacy for the role, adding that the consent of recommended candidates must be gained first before their names can be sent to Parliament.

"But I don’t know about the matter.

"I also don’t know whether I’m a candidate or not, nobody has contacted me,” he was quoted as saying by Utusan.

Utusan Malaysia noted that it was unable to get the total number of proposed names from incumbent Speaker Tan Sri Azhar Azizan Harun as he did not answer calls or text messages.

Today is the deadline for the submission of names for the election to the role of Dewan Rakyat Speaker.

Azizan told The Star last Friday that he will be officially stepping down on December 18.

The first Parliamentary sitting of the 15th Parliament will commence on December 19, ending on the day after.

Its first order of business will be the election of the Dewan Rakyat Speaker, followed by the swearing-in ceremony of MPs, according to a notice sent out to all MPs last Thursday by Dewan Rakyat secretary Nizam Mydin Bacha Mydin.