Azalina: Parliament to oversee appointment of public prosecutor after AG role split

KUALA LUMPUR, June 25 — Parliament is set to take on a key oversight function in the appointment of the Public Prosecutor, via the Parliamentary Special Select Committee.

The reform, according to Minister in the Prime Minister's Department (Law and Institutional Reform) Datuk Seri Azalina Othman Said, is a testament to the MADANI government's unwavering commitment to institutional legal reform.

She noted that the proposal was agreed by consensus during the seventh meeting of the Special Select Committee on Parliamentary Institutional Reform, which includes cross-party representatives from both the government and opposition.

"Under this power-sharing framework, the Prime Minister and the Cabinet will be explicitly removed from any involvement in the appointment of the Public Prosecutor, to prevent any hint of political interference.

"Instead, Parliament, through the Special Select Committee, will be constitutionally empowered to review, assess, and offer feedback, whether to recommend or not recommend the list of candidates submitted by the Judicial and Legal Service Commission," she told a media briefing at Parliament today.

Azalina said that in respect of the separation of powers doctrine, Parliament will be given full autonomy to determine its own procedures and the mechanics of its oversight role, through its Standing Orders and a subsequent enabling Act.

The Constitutional Amendment Bill 2026, which provides for the long-awaited separation of the Attorney General and Public Prosecutor's roles, is scheduled to be tabled for second reading in the current Dewan Rakyat session, incorporating the comprehensive report and recommendations from the cross-party committee.

Selayang MP William Leong Jee Keen, a member of the committee, explained that positioning Parliament as an oversight body is firmly grounded in Articles 62(1) and 83(3) of the Federal Constitution.

"Transparency is our core focus. Through the Special Select Committee, Parliament has the capacity to scrutinise each candidate's credentials, merit, and competence before presenting its feedback to the Judicial and Legal Service Commission.

"The Commission will then present its recommendation to the Yang di-Pertuan Agong, following consultation with the Conference of Rulers," he said.

Muar MP Syed Saddiq Syed Abdul Rahman hailed the separation of the Attorney General and Public Prosecutor's roles as one of the nation's most transformative legal reforms, one that finally breaks the executive's stranglehold over the prosecution arm.

He also urged all MPs, regardless of political ideology, to rally behind the Bill in defence of the country's rule of law. — Bernama