Johor opposition reps now dubbed 'balancers' instead

The Johor state legislative assembly will now use the term "balancers" to refer to state opposition members in upholding the order by Johor ruler Sultan Ibrahim Sultan Iskandar last Thursday.

The matter was announced by Johor speaker Mohd Puad Zarkashi before the question-and-answer session at the state assembly sitting at Bangunan Sultan Ismail, Kota Iskandar, today.

"As was initiated by Machap assemblyman (Menteri Besar Onn Hafiz Ghazi) yesterday, we will use the term balancer which is more noble, accurate, comprehensive and futuristic to create a more authoritative state legislative assembly.

"Thank you, Tuanku," he said at the first meeting of the second session of the 15th Johor state assembly.

At the opening ceremony, Sultan Ibrahim said that the opposition representatives in Johor should be called "pihak pengimbang" instead of "pihak pembangkang" as they play the role of ensuring checks and balances to ensure that the government is on the right track.

He said the term "opposition" in referring to assemblymen who are not members of the ruling party was inappropriate as their role is not just to oppose the government’s proposals.