The opposition leader in Perak will be accorded several perks, including an official car, state legislative assembly speaker Ngeh Koo Ham, announced today.

“The opposition leader (in the state assembly) will now be provided with the facilities of an office, an official car, two officials, a driver and an additional monthly allowance,” he said in a statement this afternoon.

Ngeh, who is also Perak DAP chief, said the opposition should not be treated as enemies but instead be respected for their role in the democratic framework.

The speaker said he had championed for this reform since 2004 and was “elated” it had finally come to pass.

Ngeh also announced that the opposition leader and members of the state legislative assembly would be given more time to debate and for the question-and-answer sessions.

“The time allocated for the opposition leader to debate has been increased from 40 minutes to an hour and from 20 minutes to 30 minutes for the other legislative members.

"Time allocated for questions and answers has been increased from an hour to one and a half,” he said.

The next Perak state legislative assembly session will commence on Aug 6 for five days.