THE Federal Constitution will be amended next year to separate the roles of the Attorney General (AG) and the Public Prosecutor (PP), says Datuk Seri Azalina Othman Said.
The Minister in the Prime Minister’s Department (Law and Institutional Reform) said the amendments to the Federal Constitution would pave the way for structural legal reforms for the separation of powers to be fully implemented.
“The Cabinet took a big step forward on Sept 10 this year in agreeing to a model for the full separation of the functions of the AG and PP, which will be held by two separate individuals but on equal standing.
“As a follow-up to this decision, the subsequent steps to successfully carry out this reform will be the amendments to the constitution, which must be carried out as an enabler provision to separate the powers in accordance with the law.
“The goal is to table the constitutional amendments next year,” she said when responding to a question raised by Datuk Seri Takiyuddin Hassan (PN-Kota Baru) in the Dewan Rakyat yesterday.
She said the amendments will provide a framework for the functions of the AG as legal adviser to the government, while the role of prosecution is carried out by the PP.
Once the constitutional amendments become enforceable, Azalina said amendments related to the remuneration and salary scale for the PP must be done, including tabling an omnibus law to amend various laws related to prosecution.
“This means the government has not only provided a policy plan but also a concrete timeframe to carry out such significant reforms,” she added.
A brief shouting match erupted after Azalina took a jibe at Takiyuddin for not carrying out the reforms when he held the post of law minister five years ago.
Earlier, Takiyuddin raised the issue concerning the integrity of the judiciary by citing Datuk Seri Najib Razak’s house arrest addendum and the appointment of judges by the Judicial Appointments Commission.
He reminded Azalina that she had called for the setting up of a Royal Commission of Inquiry (RCI) on the integrity of the judiciary when she was appointed as law minister in 2023.
Azalina said it would not be appropriate for her to respond to Takiyuddin’s questions, as it would be sub judice, as both matters were currently under court proceedings.
“The Madani government is not a rhetoric government that only talks.
“We are different from YB, who was law minister in 2020 and spoke about the separation of the powers of AG and PP, but there was no separation at all,” she said, drawing a heated response from Takiyuddin and several Opposition lawmakers.
“You are playing politics; answer the questions,” Takiyuddin interjected.
Azalina merely responded by saying: “Kami cakap, kami buat (We say, we do). Hashtag, we walk the talk”, over the chatter from the floor.
Dewan Rakyat Speaker Tan Sri Johari Abdul restored order in the House, telling MPs to take things slowly and “save your energy” for the next 35 days allocated for the current Parliament meeting.
The tense situation was further diffused when Datuk Rosol Wahid (PN-Hulu Terengganu) asked if Azalina’s outfit met the required dress code.
“I still want to ask about the dress code ethics under Standing Order 41,” he said but was cut off by Johari saying loudly that he permitted Azalina’s outfit.
Rosol continued to ask if male MPs were allowed to wear such outfits, to which Johari replied that it was only for women MPs, drawing chuckles from the floor.
Azalina was wearing a vibrant green patterned blazer.
In August, there was a light moment in the House when Rosol questioned Azalina for wearing a “round-neck outfit”.
Azalina replied that her “round-neck outfit” had a proper collar.
