The speaker of the Dewan Rakyat is elected by the House, not appointed by the prime minister, Gerakan Youth deputy chief Andy Yong said.

"I am surprised that as an MP, Segambut MP does not know such basic understanding of the law," Yong said in a statement last night.

Yong was responding to Segambut MP Lim Lip Eng, who in an outburst yesterday told Speaker Pandikar Amin Mulia that while MPs are elected by the people, Pandikar was appointed by "MO1".

'Malaysian Official 1' is the term used by the United States Department of Justice's lawsuit to describe a Malaysian official who received US$730 million originating from 1MDB.

Cabinet Minister Abdul Rahman Dahlan said the official is the prime minister, but the fact that he is not named means that the PM is not subject to the lawsuit.

Lim (photo)  accused Pandikar of being appointed by "MO1" in a shouting match that resulted in the DAP lawmaker being thrown out of the Special Chambers.

Yong said Lim was mistaken because Article 57 of the Federal Constitution states that the speaker is elected by the Dewan Rakyat.

He added that Pandikar's term lasts for the length of the Dewan Rakyat term and ends when the House is dissolved.

The speaker is elected by the MPs on the first day of Parliament’s sitting after a general election, Yong said.

All MPs are qualified to become the speaker, but non-MPs who meet the requirements to be an MP can also be elected, if nominated.

A candidate must be nominated by an MP and the nomination seconded by another, at least 14 days before the election of the speaker.

The winner of a simple majority is elected through a secret ballot. The same process takes place for the two deputy speakers.