Public appointments to be done by Parliament, says Liew

PARLIAMENT | The government is devising a mechanism to shift the jurisdiction of major public service appointments from the executive to the legislative, de facto law minister Liew Vui Keong said today.

"I have met all stakeholders to refine the mechanism to transfer (the power to appoint) to Parliament. This is pretty much active.

"I hope this can be done this year," he told the Dewan Rakyat during the minister's question time session.

Pakatan Harapan had pledged in its manifesto to curtail the power of the office of the prime minister by shifting to Parliament the former's prerogative to appoint the heads of public agencies.

The Parliamentary Select Committee on Major Public Appointments headed by Harapan Selayang MP William Leong was formed for that purpose.

However, Leong had complained his committee did not take part in any major public appointment.

Prime Minister Dr Mahathir Mohamad had previously said that the select committee had no force of law with regards to government appointments, and enabling this would require constitutional amendments.

[More to follow]  - Mkini