All political parties on a parliamentary committee must submit their official written positions on separating the Attorney General and Public Prosecutor roles.
KUALA LUMPUR: All party representatives in the Parliamentary Select Committee have been asked to submit their respective parties’ written positions on the proposed constitutional amendments to separate the powers of the Attorney General and the Public Prosecutor at the committee’s fourth meeting on April 27.
Minister in the Prime Minister’s Department (Law and Institutional Reform) Datuk Seri Azalina Othman Said said the move was crucial in identifying common ground on the proposed amendments, given that the structure of Parliament cannot be separated from the influence of political parties and leaders.
“I have instructed party representatives in this committee to obtain their respective parties’ written positions. We need to know their official stance on the issue of appointments (Attorney General and Public Prosecutor) before any further decision is made.
“Whether we want politicians to be involved in the appointment process or otherwise will continue to be discussed, as members of parliament themselves are politicians,” she said.
Azalina, who is also chairman of the Parliamentary Select Committee on Constitutional Amendments Related to the Separation of the Roles of the Attorney General and the Public Prosecutor, said this after chairing the committee’s third meeting at the Parliament building here today.
Members of the committee present were Datuk Seri Dr Noraini Ahmad (Parit Sulong); William Leong Jee Keen (Selayang); Datuk Lo Su Fui (Tawau); Syahredzan Johan (Bangi); Roy Angau anak Gingkoi (Lubok Antu); Ramkarpal Singh (Bukit Gelugor) and Syed Saddiq Syed Abdul Rahman (Muar).
Azalina said at today’s meeting, apart from views from politicians, the committee also received presentations from non-governmental organisations (NGOs) and civil society organisations (CSOs), which have consistently called for the appointment of the Public Prosecutor to be carried out with full independence.
“But today, NGOs and CSOs raised a key element – the role of Parliament. They want Parliament to play a more important and relevant role in the appointment process.
“Which is quite reasonable and quite fair because as NGOs and CSOs, they believe that Parliament is the voice of the people,” she said.
Azalina said input from NGOs and CSOs also covered views that matters such as appointments, termination of service and accountability of the Attorney General and the Public Prosecutor should involve Parliament.
“We are trying to find a middle ground. NGOs have their own priorities, while political parties hold differing views depending on whether they are in the government or the opposition,” she said.
Among those who presented their views today were the Human Rights Commission of Malaysia (Suhakam), the Malaysian Bar, the Attorney General’s Chambers, the Stability and Accountability for Malaysia Project (Projek SAMA), the Coalition for Clean and Fair Elections (BERSIH), the Sabah Law Society, Rasuah Busters, as well as constitutional democracy expert Maha Balakrishnan from Sunway University.
On the committee’s fourth meeting on April 27, Azalina said it would examine the views of the Attorney General’s Chambers (AGC) from a legal perspective before any final draft is concluded.
She said that if discussions proceed smoothly, the Constitution (Amendment) Bill (No. 2) aimed at separating the roles of the Attorney General and the Public Prosecutor could be tabled at the Parliamentary sitting in June.
On the absence of three committee members today, namely Perikatan Nasional chief whip Datuk Seri Takiyuddin Hassan, Datuk Seri Hamzah Zainudin (Larut) and Datuk Seri Dr Ronald Kiandee (Beluran), Azalina said two were absent due to health reasons, but the meeting quorum was sufficient.
On March 3, the Dewan Rakyat agreed that the Bill be referred to the Parliamentary Select Committee, chaired by Azalina and comprising 11 MPs from both the government and opposition blocs, to allow all relevant parties to further deliberate and scrutinise the proposal.
