A month after the 14th general election, which saw Pakatan Harapan roar to a comprehensive victory, the question of who will occupy the opposition leader's seat in Parliament remains a mystery.

After Najib Abdul Razak stepped down as leader of both Umno and BN following the polls defeat, all eyes are on who will take his place – and whether that individual will also be made the leader of the opposition.

According to a source close to Umno, Tengku Razaleigh Hamzah will be made opposition leader, while acting president Ahmad Zahid Hamidi will be left to helm the party, with the sole focus of building the party back up again.

According to the source, allegedly from Ku Li’s camp, the Umno veteran tends to shy away from the top post, for fear of splitting the party further, and he may take up the role of opposition chief as a compromise.

'Right person to face Mahathir'

"The suggestion for Ku Li to be the opposition leader is because he is the right person to face (Prime Minister) Dr Mahathir Mohamad in the Dewan Rakyat.

"Besides that, it's also a question of integrity. Ku Li is free from any scandals, and the last time he was in the cabinet, it was in the 1980s. So he deserves to be the opposition chief.

"The other factor is the separation of powers between Ku Li and Zahid. Let Zahid handle the restructuring of the party," the source told Malaysiakini.

The first sitting of the Dewan Rakyat is expected to be on July 16.

Based on Tengku Razaleigh's vast experience in politics and ministerial portfolios, the source said: "Ku Li and Mahathir are of the same level."

Like Mahathir, the long-time Gua Musang MP has been in politics from the days of the first prime minister, Tunku Abdul Rahman.

The coming parliamentary sitting will see BN play the opposition role for the first time since independence, and with only 57 parliamentary seats to boot.

This after at least eight Sabah and Sarawak-based parties decided to leave BN, just over a month since its crippling loss in GE14.

BN was established by the second prime minister, Abdul Razak Hussein, in 1973, as a bid to unite the various races under a common umbrella after the May 13, 1969, racial riots.

It was at the hands of his son Najib that the coalition is now on the brink of becoming undone.