PN didn’t even discuss the idea.
Minister in the Prime Minister’s Department (Law and Institutional Reform) Azalina Othman Said this morning fired a salvo at Perikatan Nasional for not separating the powers of the attorney-general and public prosecutor when they were the government.
This comes after opposition chief Hamzah Zainudin (PN-Larut) alleged that the current administration was practising selective prosecution against opposition leaders, including when the Attorney-General’s Chambers pressed criminal charges against PN chairperson Muhyiddin Yassin (PN-Pagoh).
Azalina told the Dewan Rakyat that the power to charge and withdraw any charge against an accused person in court is solely under the attorney-general’s discretion and protected under the Federal Constitution.
She said it is unfair for the opposition to cry selective prosecution when PN leaders are charged in court.
“This is why the Madani government is committed to separating the powers of the attorney-general and public prosecutor.
“I want to ask you, when you were in power, why didn’t you separate the powers of the attorney-general (and prosecutor)?
“When your leaders get charged, you say they are victims of selective prosecution. But when the same happens to the other side, ‘padan muka’ (you say they deserve it),” she said.
“What is this? At least on our side, we are committed to walking the talk (in separating the powers). Unlike you, who didn’t even discuss the idea,” she added.
Azalina (BN-Pengerang) said this in her speech during the Parliament special session on the 12th Malaysia Plan mid-term review this morning.
She was responding to Hamzah and Ronald Kiandee (PN-Beluran) who raised questions on alleged selective prosecutions by the government.
Hamzah claimed that the government had persecuted Muhyiddin by dragging him to court, which later acquitted and discharged him from four counts of power abuse charges. – Malaysiakini