The government has denied dragging its feet in its plan to separate the roles of the attorney-general and the public prosecutor, reiterating its full commitment to executing this institutional reform.
Deputy law and institutional reform minister M Kulasegaran said the government was “100% committed” to carrying out this reform and had already promised to follow through with it.
However, he said the delay in implementing it was due to stakeholder discussions which he maintained were necessary to ensure the bill was holistic.
“This is the first time (that the government is pushing this through), so it will take some time. Nonetheless, our commitment is 100%,” he told the Dewan Rakyat.
Kulasegaran added that the government would give a timeframe for the bill to separate the AG and public prosecutor’s roles next year.
The Prime Minister’s Department’s legal affairs division previously said it would draft amendments to several articles of the constitution, a new reform bill and a new Act to implement the separation of the roles.
Amendments to Articles 145, 183 and 42 of the Federal Constitution will be drafted separately to create a public prosecutor’s position empowered on its own.
An omnibus Law Reform (Public Prosecutor) Bill will be drafted to amend certain laws. A new Act on the remuneration of the attorney-general and public prosecutor will also be drafted.
