AG's appointment: Aye says MCA, nay says Umno Youth

Umno Youth and MCA have polar opposite views on the appointment of Tommy Thomas (above) as the new attorney-general.

MCA praised Yang di-Pertuan Agong Sultan Muhammad V for his "wisdom" and "foresight" in reaffirming the supremacy of the Federal Constitution with the appointment.

"His Majesty displayed inner steel in safeguarding the tenets of the Federal Constitution, despite coming under pressure from ultras who insisted that the AG must be of a certain race and religion, which was not stipulated in the Federal Constitution," said MCA spokesperson Ti Lian Ker (below).

He said the Agong had provided a timely reminder to Malaysians that the Federal Constitution was sacrosanct, the highest law of the land and no Malaysian was above it.

"In so doing, the Agong has demonstrated prudence in diffusing race and religious tensions as the Federal Constitution guarantees that the rights of all Malaysian citizens are protected," he said.

The Agong had granted his consent to Putrajaya's nomination of Thomas as attorney-general this morning.

The consent was granted before the Conference of Rulers had met today. There was no constitutional requirement for the appointment to be deliberated by the Malay rulers.

The palace had initially sought time to deliberate on the nomination as critics had argued that Thomas, as a non-Muslim, would not be able to advise the Agong on syariah matters.

Meanwhile, Umno Youth exco member Tun Faisal Ismail Aziz said Thomas' appointment proved that DAP was in charge of Pakatan Harapan and not Bersatu.

"Bersatu is not the dominant party in the Harapan administration. DAP and its proxies are the most powerful due to the number of seats won.

"Today has proven that the prime minister is weak. Bersatu has only 13 seats while DAP and their proxies have much more," he wrote on his Facebook page.

He believed that Thomas' appointment had raised certain questions and created concern among Malays and Muslims.

"Even more worrying was the fact that the decision was made before the Council of Rulers had been convened to discuss the matter.

"It raises the question of what happened behind the scenes which led to this," he wrote on his Facebook page.

'Terrible track record'

He said Malays and Muslims are concerned that Thomas' appointment would threaten their position as protected under Article 153 of the Federal Constitution and there were already "socialist, liberal and secular" voices questioning Malay privileges.

"Thomas' appointment is seen as the first step by the Pakatan Harapan administration towards realising demands from these groups," he said.

He said Thomas' appointment would likely result in a change in how Islam's position in the eyes of the law was interpreted.

In view of this, he said PAS can now forget about plans to implement hudud law and amending the Syariah Courts (Criminal Jurisdiction) Act 1965.

"Although Harapan said the position of Islam and the Malays and bumiputera will be prioritised, their track record in fulfilling such promises is terrible.

"Before GE14, we have warned that Harapan's promises will result in a widening deficit and economic risks to the country. Harapan supporters did not believe us.

"Today, it is proven that Harapan cannot fulfil their promises and their statements continue to damage the economy.

"This is what Muslims and Malays who voted for Harapan want? Do Muslims and Malays feel cheated by Harapan's election promises?" he asked. -Mkini