KUALA LUMPUR: Datuk Seri Azalina Othman Said has announced the commencement of an empirical study on the separation of powers between the Attorney General (AG) and Public Prosecutor (PP), as part of the government’s commitment to institutional reforms.
The Minister in the Prime Minister’s Department for Law and Institutional Reform revealed that she, along with the Canadian Justice Minister and AG, as well as the UK’s Parliamentary Under Secretary of State for the Ministry of Justice, recently discussed the issue.
These discussions took place during a Commonwealth Law Ministers meeting in Zanzibar, Tanzania on March 4, where the leaders exchanged ideas on efforts to separate the roles of the AG and PP.
Additionally, Azalina shared that a paper outlining the rationale and parameters of the separation of powers was presented to the Cabinet on Feb 7, and the direction and parameters for the empirical study were approved.
The Cabinet has also given the green light for the formation of two special teams: the Special Task Force for Comparative Studies and the Technical Task Force.
“The Special Task Force for Comparative Studies comprises the minister (Azalina), representatives of the Special Select Committee on Human Rights, Elections and Institutional Reforms, representatives of the Opposition Bloc, and the Attorney General’s Chambers (AGC).
The Legal Affairs Division under the Prime Minister’s Department has initiated an interim empirical evidence-based research involving the UK, Australia, and Canada to gather insights on best practices in those countries for recommending a suitable model for the separation of roles between the AG and PP to the government,” Azalina stated in a Parliamentary written reply.
This response came following a question by Opposition Leader Datuk Seri Hamzah Zainudin on updates regarding the government’s plan to divide the powers of AG and PP.
Azalina emphasized that these recent discussions and engagement sessions aim to identify the most suitable framework for Malaysia, especially given that the current model has been in place since independence.
“Hence, a comprehensive study is necessary to ensure the continuity of checks and balances, involving all stakeholders to effectively realize the promised institutional reforms,” she added.
