Johor sultan: MACC, Petronas should report to Agong, not Parliament

The next Yang di-Pertuan Agong wants the role to have more responsibilities, including direct oversight of the MACC and even Petronas.

Sultan Ibrahim Sultan Iskandar said these two agencies should report to the throne instead of Parliament.

In an interview with Straits Times, the Johor ruler said he wants to crack down on graft.

"From my great-grandfather, we were great hunters. I make sure when I go hunting, I bring back nice games.

"But when I'm in KL, it's a concrete jungle, so what do I hunt?

"I'm going to hunt all the corrupt people, I make sure I bring results," he said.

The monarch added that having the MACC report to the Agong instead of Parliament would ensure independence.

"If it comes to the Agong, it means you are not under the influence of anybody from the executive.

"Even Petronas shouldn't be under Parliament, report directly to me," he said.

The anti-graft agency and the state oil and gas company currently report to the government, not Parliament.

MACC has often been accused of being politically motivated, serving the government of the day to go after rivals.

Reformists have called for the commission to report to Parliament instead of the government, and for the legislature to also appoint or at least vet appointments to key posts within the graftbuster.

‘Not a rubber stamp’

Sultan Ibrahim in his interview also called for more independent judicial appointments by excluding the executive from the process.

At present, the Judicial Appointments Committee (JAC) picks the judges.

The prime minister appoints five of the committee members, while the remaining four slots are filled by sitting judges.

"We (rulers) only get the list (from the Prime Minister's Office) during the Conference of Rulers.

"Why don't you bring the name down (to us) before you appoint? We are not a rubber stamp," the ruler said.

In November 2022, the Conference of Rulers said that the JAC should be independent of the executive.

However, in the decree, the rulers said that the five slots to be appointed by the prime minister should instead be entrusted to other institutions such as the Bar Council, Sabah Law Society, Advocates Association of Sarawak and Parliament's select committee. - Mkini