A backbencher has directly opposed the government’s proposed bill on separating the roles of the attorney-general and the public prosecutor.
Subang MP Wong Chen, commenting on a revised draft with recommendations from a bipartisan Parliamentary Special Select Committee (PSSC), said he will not support the bill unless further changes are made.
Specifically, Wong, who read out a joint statement also endorsed by six other PKR MPs, rejected the proposed Clause 18.
The clause states “the Judicial and Legal Service Commission (JLSC) shall inform Parliament the names of persons to be nominated as public prosecutor and Parliament may give comments to the commission, if any.”
As an alternative, the MPs raised the following proposals:
All public prosecutor nominees recommended by the JLSC must undergo a public confirmation hearing before a bipartisan PSSC.
Nominees endorsed by the PSSC should then be subjected to a Dewan Rakyat vote, requiring a simple majority for approval.
Nominees approved by Parliament should be returned to the JLSC for final action and appointment procedures.
The PKR lawmakers stressed the importance of the proposed bipartisan parliamentary vetting process for JLSC’s nominees, with open hearings for Parliament to assess their competence, experience, independence and, above all, integrity on behalf of the people.
As part of the assessment, the MPs said nominees for the public prosecutor role should submit a full, independently audited asset declaration.
Yesterday, Minister in the Prime Minister’s Department (Law and Institutional Reform) Azalina Othman Said, as chairperson of the PSSC reviewing the bill, said a new special select committee will exist for Parliament to evaluate names identified by the commission before appointment by the Yang di-Pertuan Agong.
The amendments will also remove the prime minister’s and the cabinet’s executive power from the appointment process.
How will the others vote?
When asked whether the PKR MPs will collectively decide how to vote for the bill, Wong said they have not come to an agreement on that.
“The seven MPs have identified a core problem that we have with this bill.
“At that point (to vote), we will leave it to individual MPs how they will vote or not vote (abstain),” he told a press conference in the Parliament building today.
“For me, I will definitely not support unless they make the changes necessary.
“Because informing Parliament of the names and then asking for comments is not what we do. It is not the job of MPs. I think that is a bad thing, seriously,” he stressed.
PM term limit bill
Wong, however, reiterated that all seven PKR MPs will support a separate constitutional amendment bill to limit the prime minister’s tenure to two terms of 10 years.
“For the two-term limit for PM, he should be assured full support. No issue at all,” he added.
Three other PKR MPs who endorsed the statement - Hassan Abdul Karim (Pasir Gudang), Zahir Hassan (Wangsa Maju) and S Kesavan (Sungai Siput) - were also present.
The remaining three were Rodziah Ismail (Ampang), Lee Chean Chung (Petaling Jaya), and Bakhtiar Wan Chik (Balik Pulau).
The seven lawmakers have also been linked to Parti Bersama Malaysia leaders - former Pandan MP Rafizi Ramli and former Setiawangsa MP Nik Nazmi Nik Ahmad.
Waiting for debate
Met after the press conference, Hassan said he would allow time for debate on the new draft bill before deciding how to vote.
“We will wait for the debate. Maybe from today’s press conference, the PSSC will reconsider, maybe they can still amend the draft,” he told Malaysiakini.
On the proposal by the MPs, the veteran lawmaker and lawyer argued that a more active vetting role by the legislature will ensure that the king will consider the best candidate.
The Constitution (Amendment) (No 2) Bill 2026, which aims to formally separate the roles of the AG and the public prosecutor, was first tabled on Feb 23 and later referred to the PSSC for further review.
The bill requires a two-thirds majority, or 148 MPs, to pass. - Mkini
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