SHAH ALAM, June 21: Subang Jaya Assemblywoman, Hannah Yeoh today created history when she was sworn in as the first woman State Legislative Assembly Speaker in the country.
Located at the Selangor State Assembly (DNS) this morning, she officially was elected as the Speaker and will head the 13th DNS session on June 28.
Since the country gained independence in 1957, all appointed Speakers, be it in the Senate, the House of Representatives or even the State Legislative Assembly (DUN) have been men.
Hannah, 34, also created history as the youngest Speaker ever appointed to preside over DNS sessions.
She will be assisted by the Seri Setia Assemblyman, Nik Nazmi Nik Ahmad, who was also sworn in as the Selangor State Deputy Speaker today.
Hannah and Nik Nazmi are both law graduates selected as representatives of the people when they both won their respective DUN seats during the 2008 General Election.
Meanwhile, Hannah expressed her gratitude to the press for the trust given by the Chief Minister, Tan Sri Abdul Khalid Ibrahim, who appointed her as the Speaker and she promised to conduct the DNS sessions well.
She said that the DNS appears different as there are 14 women Assemblywomen from both components, Pakatan Rakyat (PR) and BN.
“I believe that this combination will create a more interesting assembly where all members are expected to be more hard-working in their duties and to debate,” she said.
At the recent 13th General Election (GE-13), Pakatan Rakyat (PR) successfully defended Selangor when they received a two-third majority by winning 44 out of the 56 state seats contested.
