The new Opposition Leader will be announced in September when the Dewan Rakyat meets for the third sitting this year to debate the 2003 Budget.

PAS secretary-general Nasharuddin Mat Isa said that he has been informed about the decision to delay the announcement by House Speaker Mohamed Zahir Ismail.

"The speaker wants to make the announcement in the new sitting which will commence in September," Nasharuddin told malaysiakini at the Parliament lobby today, the last day of the second parliamentary sitting.

Nasharuddin said PAS has submitted the name of the candidate to Zahir after DAP and Keadilan has agreed to the proposed name.

PAS has nominated Terengganu Menteri Besar Abdul Hadi Awang as the new opposition head to take over the position of Opposition Leader from PAS president Fadzil Noor who passed away last Sunday.

Concerns

Yesterday, DAP backed PAS' decision to nominate Hadi on the conventional ground that the Opposition Leader is selected by the party with the most number of seats in Parliament.

In this parliamentary session, PAS has 27 seats, followed by DAP 10 and Keadilan five.

Mohamad Sabu (PAS-Kuala Kedah) said it was the party's convention to nominate the president as Opposition Leader.

However, there are concerns that Hadi may not be able to juggle his duties satisfactorily as he holds several other positions.

The firebrand Muslim leader, known for his hardline Islamic policies, is currently Marang (Terengganu) member of Parliament, Ru Rendang state assembly representative and PAS acting president.

On Monday, Zahir said there was no time frame to make the announcement.

However, he said he would leave it to the Opposition to select a leader from among their ranks.