ANWAR Ibrahim will be seeking an audience with the Yang di-Pertuan Agong tonight to resolve the impasse regarding the appointment of Tommy Thomas as the next attorney-general.

Anwar had already met with seven rulers, including the sultan of Johor for the second time last night, who sought assurances that Malay rights would be looked after despite the appointment of a non-Muslim attorney-general.

“My duty as a citizen with some influence is to discuss (with the rulers) and give them assurances. What I passed to them was that in 60 years, the royal families had worked with the leadership of Umno and Barisan Nasional.

“Now the situation has changed. But the constitution has not changed. The status of the Malay rulers has not changed. Matters (such as the appointment of the attorney-general) can be discussed and fleshed out,” Anwar told The Malaysian Insight.

The Conference of Rulers is set to decide on the appointment of Thomas, an experienced litigator who is an ethnic Indian and Christian, at a meeting tomorrow.

Anwar said the the choice of Thomas as attorney-general by Prime Minister Dr Mahathir Mohamad must be respected as it is the prime minister’s prerogative.

“The government’s priority to carry out a good job. (This) is the prerogative of the prime minister in a democratic system which must be adhered to,” he said.

However, Anwar, who has twice met with Perak Sultan Raja Nazrin Shah and Johor Sultan Ibrahim Iskandar over the matter, said it was understandable that the appointment of Thomas has been delayed for nearly two weeks.

He said the sultan of Johor stressed that whoever the attorney-general was, he needed to defend the constitution, which lays out the protections of Malay rights.

“I did not sense any resistance from him regarding the choice of Thomas,” the de facto PKR leader said at his office at the PKR headquarters in Petaling Jaya today.

“We have to adhere to the constitution. However, there’s nothing wrong with the rulers giving their opinions. So we should discuss the matter and find a formula, and the best solution.

“We ultimately know the choice (of the attorney-general) is the prime minister’s in a parliamentary democracy.

“The King is allowed to give his views and advice and delay the appointment a little so that the feelings and sentiments of those who want to defend Malay traditions are delivered to the government.

“My feeling is that our wisdom and experience in this case are delivered clearly (to the rulers). We hope that the matter will be resolved shortly,” Anwar told The Malaysian Insight.

Anwar admitted there had been concerns that a non-Muslim attorney-general would not be able to advise the Malay rulers on shariah matters.

“There were those who said, after my meeting with the seven rulers, that they wanted assurances that shariah and Malay matters were not compromised but taken into account.

“I don’t expect this situation to prolong, nor be turned into a crisis.

“The views of the urban folk, who are more liberal, may be different. The rural folk and the Malays there may think differently. It is the responsibility of a good government to take into considerations all these views.” – June 4, 2018.