Tak penting pemimpin PAS jadi ketua pembangkang, kata Iskandar

In an interview with FMT, PAS Betasamah Iskandar Abdul Samad, the Finance Minister of PAS, emphasized that holding the position of deputy prime minister is not crucial for the party. He explained that with 43 parliamentarians, the party has ample space to voice its opinions and proposals on various issues. While the deputy prime minister role offers more speaking time in the Dewan Rakyat, Iskandar noted that numerous parliamentarians can still make their points.

He criticized Hamzah Zainudin for not introducing new proposals or fundamentals during the 2027 budget discussions, focusing instead on the transformative impact of the engine for economic growth. According to Iskandar, the deputy prime minister role primarily involves parliamentary affairs, whereas the leader of PAS continues to garner international attention.

For instance, PAS Vice President Ahmad Samsuri Mokhtar is frequently encountered by foreign leaders and representatives, even though he is not the deputy prime minister. Iskandar also suggested that PAS possesses a recognized poster boy of the opposition, though it has not been officially announced. Despite the lack of an official poster boy, the public is well aware of the individual.

In effect, there is a de facto poster boy for the opposition, Iskandar pointed out. Hamzah Zainudin was appointed as deputy prime minister in December 2022, but he temporarily stepped down between April and June after being expelled from Bersatu. Meanwhile, Samsuri, who is also the National Legal Affairs Secretary, assumed the role temporarily before Hamzah returned to the deputy prime minister position in June.