PETALING JAYA: PKR president Datuk Seri Dr Wan Azizah Wan Ismail will remain as the Opposition leader as the country gears up for the next general election, said Selangor Mentri Besar Datuk Seri Azmin Ali (pic).

He said this when asked to comment on Datuk Zaid Ibrahim’s suggestion that Tun Dr Mahathir Mohamad serve as the de facto Opposition leader instead.

Meanwhile, Azmin said he is unsure if PKR has received an invitation to next week’s rally on the Syariah Courts (Criminal Jurisdiction) Act (Act 355).

“Don’t speculate to see if we are invited or not,” said Azmin, who is PKR deputy president.

PAS is planning to hold a rally at Dataran Merdeka on Feb 18 to support PAS president Datuk Seri Abdul Hadi Awang’s Private Member’s Bill, which he tabled in Parliament in May last year.

The Bill seeks to further empower the Syariah Courts by giving them the jurisdiction to mete out harsher punishments for syariah offences.

Asked to comment on Hadi’s statement that Dr Mahathir weakens the political power of Islam, Azmin said: “That is his personal opinion”.

Azmin said this after presenting the 5A forms to 32 villagers in Kampung Chempaka during a Chinese New Year celebration here.

The form enables the villagers to pay quit rent (cukai tanah) to the Petaling Land Office, upon which their land will be made legal with land titles.

Damansara Utama assemblyman Yeo Bee Yin, who was also present at the event, said the form recipients have two options as to their land title application.

“They can either pay RM1,000 for a 99-year leasehold land title, or opt for a 30% discount of the current market price and pay the remaining amount for a freehold land title.

“Upon receiving the land title, they are assured of being able to hand over their property to their children,” she said.