MALAYSIA is studying the practices of Commonwealth countries before setting up an independent law commission.

Deputy Minister in the Prime Minister’s Department Mohamed Hanipa Maidin said India has vast experience in developing law institutions and Malaysia is keen to benefit from this.

“As Commonwealth countries, we share many similarities in our government institutions. We hope to gain from the expertise of countries such as New Zealand, Australia and India in setting up Malaysia’s Law Reform Commission,” Hanipa told Bernama.

The deputy minister is in New Delhi to meet officials from government legal agencies to learn how the Law Commission of India functions.

“We are doing a lot of things to improve our democracy. We want a specialised commission to review the laws that need revision,” Hanipa said.

The government has engaged with the Bar Council of Malaysia, civil groups and other stakeholders to seek their ideas, he said.

Once the government completes the necessary studies, a bill will be drafted to set up the commission, he added. – Bernama, December 23, 2019.