KUALA LUMPUR (July 14): Proposed amendments to the long-pending bill separating the offices of the attorney general and public prosecutor will require candidates for the public prosecutor post to be vetted through Parliament, according to the latest revision tabled in the Dewan Rakyat.
Under the revised framework, the Judicial and Legal Service Commission (JLSC) is to forward a list of nominees for the position to the Speaker of the Dewan Rakyat, who will then present the names before the House.
The Dewan Rakyat is then expected to review the candidates via a select committee, which will subsequently submit its recommendations back to the JLSC.
The bill, however, was not debated in the current sitting, with proceedings deferred to the next parliamentary session.
“The amendment is aimed at strengthening the checks and balances mechanism while preserving the independence of the public prosecutor and the constitutional position of the Yang di-Pertuan Agong,” said Minister in the Prime Minister’s Department (Law and Institutional Reform) Datuk Seri Azalina Othman Said during the tabling of the bill.
Following the latest amendments, Azalina said the government intends to present the proposed changes to the Conference of Rulers, in recognition of the role of the constitutional monarchy institution and in accordance with the country’s practices.
She said the second and third readings of the bill, including the debate and voting process, would only take place in a subsequent parliamentary sitting after the proposed amendments have been presented to the Conference of Rulers.
MPs back revised bill
Meanwhile, a group of lawmakers has thrown its support behind the latest amendments to the bill, saying the changes have strengthened Parliament’s role in scrutinising candidates for the public prosecutor post.
In a joint statement, the eight members of Parliament said the amendments tabled by the government on Monday met their expectations for a stronger parliamentary oversight mechanism.
“Therefore, we pledge our full support for the bill and urge the government to proceed with the debate and vote on the amendments together with the proposed 10-year limit for the prime minister’s tenure in this Parliament sitting,” they said.
The statement was signed by Petaling Jaya MP Lee Chean Chung, Kesavan Subramaniam (Sungai Siput), Zahir Hassan (Wangsa Maju), Hassan Abdul Karim (Pasir Gudang), Datuk Muhammad Bakhtiar Wan Chik (Balik Pulau), Rodziah Ismail (Ampang), Tan Kar Hing (Gopeng) and Wong Chen (Subang).
The group of lawmakers had previously objected to Clause 18 of the bill, saying the earlier proposal only allowed Parliament to provide comments on nominees without giving it a formal scrutiny role.
As the bill involves amendments to the Federal Constitution, it requires the support of at least two-thirds of MPs to be passed.
With the group of lawmakers’ support, and assuming full attendance from government MPs, the bill should have enough backing to secure the 148 votes needed for the constitutional amendment.
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