PETALING JAYA: A coalition of civil society organisations (CSOs) has urged the government to immediately table the proposed constitutional amendments to separate the offices of the Attorney General and Public Prosecutor, saying Parliament should not delay the long-awaited reform any further.
In a joint statement on Tuesday (Jul 14), the groups called on Prime Minister Datuk Seri Anwar Ibrahim to ensure the Constitution (Amendment) Bill is tabled during this week's Parliament sitting and urged lawmakers across the political divide to support it.
"History will not judge lawmakers by promises or theories, but by their courage in making this important decision when the opportunity for genuine reform is right before them," the groups said.
The statement was jointly issued by Bersih, C4 Center, IDEAS, IKRAM, Projek SAMA, Rasuah Busters and Maha Balakrishnan.
The groups said there was no longer any justification for delaying the Bill after the Parliamentary Special Select Committee (PSSC) had reviewed the proposed amendments and recommended improvements.
They welcomed the government's willingness to refine the Bill, particularly Minister in the Prime Minister's Department (Law and Institutional Reform) Datuk Seri Azalina Othman Said's proposal to strengthen Clause 18 of the proposed new Article 145A by giving Parliament a greater role in the appointment of the Public Prosecutor.
They also commended Anwar, Azalina, the Legal Affairs Division (BHEUU) and MPs on the PSSC for engaging stakeholders throughout the review process.
Although not all recommendations were adopted, the groups noted that the committee had agreed an enabling Act should be drafted to clearly set out the appointment process, powers, duties and accountability of the Public Prosecutor.
"As such, we believe there is no further reason for the Bill to be delayed in the Dewan Rakyat," the statement said.
The groups urged all political parties, including Barisan Nasional, Perikatan Nasional, Pakatan Harapan, Gabungan Rakyat Sabah, Gabungan Parti Sarawak, MUDA and others, to place national interests above political considerations.
They said the reform would address longstanding concerns over political interference, conflicts of interest and public confidence in the prosecution system, while ensuring the Public Prosecutor operates independently and remains accountable to Parliament.
Under the proposed mechanism, the Judicial and Prosecution Appointments Commission would submit candidates to the Dewan Rakyat Speaker for scrutiny by a parliamentary select committee before recommendations are returned to the commission.
Only candidates endorsed by the Dewan Rakyat would then be submitted to the Yang di-Pertuan Agong for appointment.
The groups urged lawmakers not to weaken the proposed amendments or allow any form of political influence over the appointment process, saying support for the Bill would show their commitment to upholding the rule of law.
