The president of the Senate (Malay: Yang di-Pertua Dewan Negara; Jawi: يڠ دڤرتوا ديوان نڬارا) is the presiding officer or speaker of the Dewan Negara, the upper house of the Parliament of Malaysia.
The president of the Senate is created under Article 56 of the Constitution of Malaysia. The office is similar to the speaker of the Dewan Rakyat: the president is elected by the members of the Senate and is expected to be politically impartial. If a member of the Dewan Negara is elected as the president and is a member of a state legislative assembly, he must resign from the assembly before exercising the functions of the office. As the president may hold different titles while in office, it also changes the style. The position has been held by Awang Bemee Awang Ali Basah of the Gabungan Parti Sarawak (GPS) since July 2024.
Functions
The main functions of the president of the Dewan Negara are:[1]
to preside over the sittings of the Dewan Negara
to be responsible for the observance of the rules in the Dewan Negara
to ensure the relevancy of the points raised during the debate
to interpret the Standing Orders in case of disputes and the decision is final
List of presidents of the Dewan Negara
As of 8 November 2024, almost all presidents of the Dewan Negara won unopposed in the presidential election except for Rais Yatim.[2]
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