SOME federal constitution provisions stand in the way of Parliament being a check and balance for major government posts, said a parliamentary panel on public appointments.

Major public appointments committee chairman William Leong said it is unable to draft a standard operating procedure due to certain provisions in the constitution and other laws that oversee several commissions and agencies.

He told The Malaysian Insight that without an SOP, there is no working structure for the committee.

As such, the present system remains in place, whereby the prime minister continues to advise the Yang di-Pertuan Agong on key appointments, without checks and balances provided by the panel.

The committee is seeking to resolve this situation by convening a meeting with commissions, agencies and stakeholders next week.

The major public appointments committee is among the standing committees formed as part of the Pakatan Harapan government’s parliamentary reforms.

The panels are to enable lawmakers to engage with ministers and develop policies.

Leong’s committee acts as an oversight body on nominations for major public appointments.

At this juncture, he said, the committee first has to firm up its SOP, which will also depend on the information provided by other commissions.

The commissions need to get the green light from the cabinet before doing so.

“We are fixing meetings with various commissions. We are also going to meet with the cabinet to work out the process. We are hoping to sort it all out by next week,” said Leong.

He said without an SOP, the committee is unable to access the information from commissions and agencies necessary to decide on appointments.

The Selayang MP said several commissions have their own acts governing their roles and appointments, and this makes streamlining the SOP even more difficult.

“We are discussing with different commissions, like the Human Rights Commission, Election Commission, the legal fraternity, and also the cabinet, to gather input to build and streamline the SOP.”

Asked if the panel has consulted the attorney-general over the drafting of the SOP, Leong said it is not necessary since the committee comes under Parliament’s purview. – March 28, 2019.