Former attorney-general Tommy Thomas has expressed disappointment with Pakatan Harapan for demanding the sacking of his successor Idrus Harun.
Regarded as an expert in Malaysian constitutional law, he said this particular branch of the abovementioned legislation is ambiguous.
“The law is not black and white on this matter. There are many grey areas.
“These are difficult and complex areas of constitutional law. We are entering uncharted waters. Everyone is entitled to their opinion. You have to agree to disagree. That is the law.
“The AG should not be sacked because some do not agree with his legal opinion.
“It must be stressed that legal opinions are not intended to be popular nor designed to curry favour,” Thomas (above) told Malaysiakini this evening.
Earlier today, the Harapan presidential council accused Idrus of treason and demanded his removal over the latter's public statement that it is up to the cabinet to decide when Parliament can be convened and that the Yang di-Pertuan Agong's discretion is not applicable in this case.
The council noted that the king, following the Conference of Rulers, decreed that Parliament should reconvene as soon as possible.
The council said the attorney-general has a constitutional duty under Article 145(2) of the Federal Constitution to advise the Agong and cabinet on legal matters.
However, it said this should be done directly to the king.
“(Idrus) should not have announced his views to the public. His statement was a breach of confidentiality between a lawyer and a client.
"With the breach, he is not qualified to be a lawyer, what more the attorney-general. His statement was treasonous towards the Agong and he should be immediately dismissed," it added.
The statement, signed by PKR president Anwar Ibrahim, Amanah president Mohamad Sabu and DAP secretary-general Lim Guan Eng, also claimed that Idrus violated decorum and belittled the rulers.
Furthermore, the trio alleged that Idrus' statement appeared to sideline the spirit of the Federal Constitution and the institution of the Malay rulers to protect the present government.
Parliament had been suspended since Jan 11 following the declaration of a state of emergency, ostensibly to combat the Covid-19 pandemic.
However, critics have accused Prime Minister Muhyiddin Yassin of implementing the emergency to prevent his tenuous majority from being tested in the Lower House.
Detractors also noted that despite the emergency, there had been no significant reduction in the number of Covid-19 cases.
On June 15, Muhyiddin said Parliament would reconvene when the nation enters Phase Three of the National Recovery Plan in September or October, when there is an average of less than 2,000 Covid-19 cases daily, sufficient ICU capacity and up to 40 percent of the population fully vaccinated.
Dewan Rakyat Speaker Azhar Azizan Harun and Dewan Negara President Rais Yatim, on the other hand, have proposed an August-September timeline.
The Agong has summoned both of them and their audience is scheduled for June 29. - Mkini
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