SUNGAI PETANI: The separation of powers between the Attorney General and the Public Prosecutor is still in the studying stage and it has not been finalised when it will be implemented, said Attorney General Datuk Ahmad Terrirudin Mohd Salleh.
He said the committee involved in the process had visited several countries to conduct an empirical study on the separation of the roles of the departments.
“A team from the Attorney General’s Chambers is also in the committee and they are conducting studies and have visited several countries... the timeframe (implementation) is uncertain,“ he said.
He was met by reporters after inaugurating the Santuni MADANI Programme of the Attorney General’s Department at Paya Nahu People’s Housing Programme (PPR) here, today.
In October last year, Minister in the Prime Minister’s Department (Legal and Institutional Reform) Datuk Seri Azalina Othman Said was reported to have said that the agenda of separating the roles of the Attorney General and the Public Prosecutor will be implemented in phases after the government takes into account the complexity and challenges of its implementation.
Azalina was reported to have told Dewan Rakyat that in the First Phase, a Special Task Force on Comparative Studies is conducting a study on several countries to examine and formulate the most appropriate model in the Malaysian context.
Meanwhile, Ahmad Terrirudin said the Santuni MADANI Programme implemented today is a vehicle for community unification through collaboration programmes with various government agencies at the district level and the PPR Paya Nahu Local Residents Association.
“This programme is the brainchild of Prime Minister Datuk Seri Anwar Ibrahim who wants all department heads or director-generals to return to their respective villages to contribute and strengthen friendships.
“Various activities are provided including a Legal Aid Clinic by the Legal Aid Department, health checks, briefings by the Prisons Department, the Royal Malaysian Police, the Information Department, SWCorp and the Attorney General’s Department,“ he said.
He said the one-day programme from 9 am to 3 pm is aimed at improving the village’s potential and community capacity through direct monitoring and discussion to identify socio-economic problems and the needs of local residents.
