Refer AG-PP separation bill to select committee, say 10 PKR MPs

2026-02-24 - 08:44

(From left) Ampang MP Rodziah Ismail, Subang MP Wong Chen, Pasir Gudang MP Hassan Karim, Pandan MP Rafizi Ramli, Setiawangsa MP Nik Nazmi Nik Ahmad and Sungai Siput MP S Kesavan were among 10 PKR MPs who held a press conference in Parliament today. KUALA LUMPUR: Ten PKR MPs have called on the government to refer the constitutional amendment bill separating the roles of the attorney-general and public prosecutor to a parliamentary special select committee for detailed scrutiny. Pandan MP Rafizi Ramli said the Constitution (Amendment) Bill (No 2) 2026 should not be rushed given its far-reaching implications. “The parliamentary special select committee should obtain feedback and cross-party input from MPs to refine the proposed constitutional amendments,” he told a joint press conference in Parliament today. Rafizi said the current draft risks concentrating power in too few hands, particularly the prime minister, who is said to influence appointments to the Judicial and Legal Service Commission. He said the commission itself can recommend candidates and can initiate removal proceedings, while the public prosecutor can enjoy constitutional protection. The press conference was also attended by Wong Chen (Subang), Rodziah Ismail (Ampang), Nik Nazmi Nik Ahmad (Setiawangsa), Lee Chean Chung (Petaling Jaya), Zahir Hassan (Wangsa Maju), Hassan Karim (Pasir Gudang), Onn Abu Bakar (Batu Pahat), S Kesavan (Sungai Siput), and Bakhtiar Wan Chik (Baling). The MPs also proposed shortening the public prosecutor’s tenure from seven years to four, arguing that a longer term was excessive and risked concentrating too much authority in a single office. Among other concern raised is the absence of a formal role for Parliament in appointing and removing the public prosecutor. Rafizi said the MPs’ support for the amendment, which requires a two-thirds majority, would depend on the government’s willingness to consider their proposals. “We are not rejecting the bill, but demanding that it be looked through properly,” he said, adding that the bill should not be “bulldozed” without broader consultation. Nik Nazmi said their criticism was not politically motivated. “We are not criticising because we want to criticise. The devil is in the details,” he said. The bill to formally separate the roles of the attorney-general and public prosecutor was tabled for its first reading yesterday. It seeks to amend six articles of the Federal Constitution and introduce two new provisions to establish the public prosecutor as a separate constitutional office, transferring prosecutorial powers currently vested in the attorney-general to an independent officeholder.