Wan Junaidi: Govt may revive dedicated law ministry, but pros and cons must be reviewed

PUTRAJAYA: A proposal to re-establish a dedicated law ministry will be presented to the Cabinet after a study on its set-up is completed.

Minister in the Prime Minister’s Department (Parliament and Law) Datuk Seri Dr Wan Junaidi Tuanku Jaafar said a draft proposal was ready but further study of the pros and cons was needed.

He said the study would also review ways in which the Legal Affairs Division under the Prime Minister’s Department could function better and more effectively.

"The setting up of a law ministry now is timely as there are numerous matters pertaining to the country’s laws and regulations that need to be looked into.

"This includes the government’s transformation initiatives where amendments to laws are needed, and the task at hand is enormous," he said after meeting staff of the Legal Affairs Division on Friday (Jan 28).

Wan Junaidi said he was waiting for the right time to present the proposal to the Prime Minister and Chief Secretary to the Government before presenting it to the Cabinet.

"The process cannot be done in a short time as there are matters such as laws, administrative changes, manpower needs and finance that need to be sorted out.

"But with the government's aspiration for transformation and the people's demands that need to be looked into today, it is most timely for a dedicated law ministry to be set up to handle these matters," he said.

A previous Law Ministry was dissolved in 1995 and became the Legal Affairs Division.