KUALA LUMPUR: The Parliamentary Special Select Committee (PSSC) report on the constitutional amendment to separate the roles of the Attorney General and the Public Prosecutor will be tabled in the Dewan Rakyat a day later than slated on Tuesday (July 14).
Minister in the Prime Minister's Department (Law and Institutional Reform) Datuk Seri Azalina Othman Said said the committee had successfully refined the original proposed amendments through seven key improvements aimed at enhancing the independence, integrity and accountability of the institution of the Public Prosecutor.
"These include strengthening Parliament's role in the appointment process; the appointment by the Yang di-Pertuan Agong on the advice of the Judicial and Legal Service Commission (SPKP) without the involvement of the Prime Minister or Cabinet; a fixed seven-year term of office without renewal; the introduction of a Public Prosecutor's code of ethics; and the granting of powers to Parliament to enact further legislation to strengthen this institution," she said in a statement on Monday (July 13).
She said Clause (18) of Article 145A of the Federal Constitution has also been improved to empower Parliament's role in the appointment process of the Public Prosecutor.
With this amendment, the SPKP shall submit the names of candidates to the Speaker of the Dewan Rakyat so that it can be tabled before the House.
"The Dewan Rakyat shall then scrutinise the candidates through a select committee before making recommendations to the SPKP. In accordance with these recommendations, the SPKP shall advise the Yang di-Pertuan Agong only on the names recommended by the Dewan Rakyat," she said.
This measure is intended to strengthen the checks and balances mechanism, without compromising the independence of the Public Prosecutor or the position of the Yang di-Pertuan Agong under the Constitution," she added.
She said the reform is not merely about separating the powers of the Attorney General and the Public Prosecutor but also building a prosecution institution that is more independent, transparent and accountable in order to strengthen public confidence in the country's justice system.
The motion on the report was slated to be tabled in the Dewan Rakyat but MPs received a message informing them that the motion would not be tabled on Monday.
The second reading of the Bill was to be tabled alongside a report by the Special Select Committee on the separation of powers. It is understood that the motion will have to be debated and passed before the Bill as it involves an additional amendment.
The Bill, which involves a major constitutional amendment, requires a two-thirds majority in the Dewan Rakyat to pass. It was deferred to a 12-member bipartisan committee following its second reading in March 2026.
