SEVEN PKR MPs have called for Parliament to be given a decisive role in vetting and approving future Public Prosecutor (PP) appointments.
In a joint statement, the MPs said Parliament should be empowered to scrutinise nominees through a bipartisan vetting process, including public confirmation hearings and a parliamentary vote before appointments are finalised.
The statement was signed by Wong Chen (Subang), S. Kesavan (Sungai Siput), Rodziah Ismail (Ampang), Lee Chean Chung (Petaling Jaya), Zahir Hassan (Wangsa Maju), Hassan Karim (Pasir Gudang) and Datuk Muhammad Bakhtiar Wan Chik (Balik Pulau).
While welcoming the government’s efforts to improve the proposed constitutional amendments separating the offices of the Attorney General and the PP, the MPs said a key issue remained unresolved.
“We remain deeply concerned that the recent amendments continue to fail to address a fundamental issue – the need for Parliament to play a meaningful vetting role in the appointment process of the PP,” according to the statement issued yesterday.
The lawmakers proposed that every nominee recommended by the Judicial and Legal Service Commission undergo a confirmation hearing before a bipartisan Parliamentary Special Select Committee, with proceedings broadcast to the public.
Nominees who pass the hearing should then be subjected to a vote in the Dewan Rakyat and secure a simple majority before their names are returned to the commission for further action, they said.
The MPs also called for nominees to submit a full, independently audited asset declaration during the nomination process.
“The nation cannot afford a situation where a powerful and senior public office holder later faces questions and investigations over issues of integrity and personal financial interests,” they said.
The group noted they specifically objected to Clause 18 of the proposed amendment, which would require the commission to inform Parliament of proposed nominees and allow MPs to submit comments.
The MPs said that the government currently commands 151 MPs in the Dewan Rakyat, exceeding the 148 votes required for a two-thirds majority to pass the constitutional amendment.
They urged Putrajaya to engage lawmakers and incorporate a more comprehensive vetting mechanism into the proposed reforms.
The lawmakers said these safeguards were necessary given the extensive powers that would be vested in the PP, including discretionary powers relating to Discharge Not Amounting to an Acquittal (DNAA).
