Six PKR MPs push for changes.
PKR MP Wong Chen will vote against the Constitution (Amendment) (No 2) Bill 2026, which seeks to separate the roles of the Attorney-General and public prosecutor, while six PKR MPs are calling for key clause amendments.
The group, linked to Parti Bersama Malaysia leaders, former Pandan MP Rafizi Ramli and former Setiawangsa MP Nik Nazmi Nik Ahmad, issued a joint statement proposing a bipartisan parliamentary vetting process for nominees put forward by the Judicial and Legal Service Commission. This would include open hearings for Parliament to assess their competence, experience, independence and, above all, integrity on behalf of the rakyat.
As part of the assessment, nominees for the public prosecutor role should submit a full, independently audited asset declaration during the hearings.
Yesterday, Minister in the Prime Minister’s Department (Law and Institutional Reform) Azalina Othman Said, as chairperson of the parliamentary special select committee (PSSC) reviewing the bill, said a new special select committee will exist for Parliament to evaluate names identified by the commission before appointment by the Yang di-Pertuan Agong. The amendments will also remove the prime minister’s and the cabinet’s executive power from the appointment process.
Pasir Gudang MP Hassan Abdul Karim said he would allow time for debate on the new draft bill before deciding how to vote. “We will wait for the debate. Maybe from today’s press conference the PSSC will reconsider, maybe they can still amend the draft,” he told Malaysiakini.
On the MPs’ proposal, the veteran lawmaker and lawyer argued that a more active vetting role by the legislature will ensure that the king will consider the best candidate.
The bill, first tabled on Feb 23 and referred to the PSSC for further review, requires a two-thirds majority, or 148 MPs, to pass.