Sulaiman Abdul Rahman Taib's purported resignation as deputy tourism minister was dismissed by Dewan Rakyat deputy speaker Dr Wan Junaidi Tuanku Jaafar.

sulaiman taib He said the Dewan Rakyat has not received a formal notification from Sulaiman ( left ), who is the son of Sarawak Chief Minister Abdul Taib Mahmud, or from Prime Minister Najib Abdul Razak.

He dismissed the speculation as he personally saw Sulaiman in the Dewan Rakyat last week.

"I saw him attending the parliamentary sitting last week and he still sat in his deputy minister's chair," he was quoted as saying by Bernama .

He said formal notification of changes to the cabinet's composition would be handed by the prime minister in order for seating arrangements to be changed in the House.

Meanwhile, Deputy Prime Minister Muhyiddin Yassin said he was not sure whether Sulaiman had resigned or not.

"I am not too sure if the prime minister has been informed. But as far as I am concerned, I don't know," he told reporters after chairing the 65th National Land Council meeting in Putrajaya

Sulaiman's resignation has been the subject of speculations for several weeks, fuelled by his rare presence in Parliament or public functions.

The wealthy businessman was also rumoured to be at odds with the more senior Tourism Minister Dr Ng Yen Yen, who could not be reached for comment.

Unhappy over Idris Jala's appointment?

NONE Other speculations involved the first-term MP's unhappiness over the appointment of former MAS chief executive officer Idris Jala ( right ) as a full cabinet minister.

According to a Malaysian Insider report today, which cited sources, Sulaiman was said to have tendered his resignation to Najib for health reasons.

Sulaiman was formerly the head of Cahaya Mata Sarawak Bhd (CMS), owned by the state's first family.

He was formerly the chairperson of RHB Capital, a branch of banking giant RHB, which was once owned by CMS.

In the last general election, Sulaiman replaced his father as the Parti Pesaka Bumiputera Bersatu (PBB) candidate for the Samarahan parliamentary seat and was immediately appointed deputy minister by then prime minister Abdullah Ahmad Badawi.