PRIME Minister Dr Mahathir Mohamad should appoint Idrus Harun as the attorney-general instead of Tommy Thomas, said former federal court judge Gopal Sri Ram.
He said Idrus, who is now a court of appeal judge, had credibility as he was previously a solicitor-general, worked in the Attorney-General’s Chambers, and had knowledge of criminal prosecution.
“Idrus, who is now in the court of appeal, is a very good man to have in mind for the A-G post.
“He comes from the chambers and was the former solicitor-general; he was eased out during the political machinations and thrust into the court of appeal.
“He would best serve the nation if he went back to the chambers and served as A-G,” Gopal said in an interview with radio station Lite.
Gopal also said he had tried to meet Dr Mahathir with fellow former judge Kader Sulaiman but had not had a chance yet as Dr Mahathir was “very busy”.
“Dr Mahathir should look for a candidate who is proficient in criminal law, and also has experience in the Attorney-General’s Chambers.”
Gopal said the attorney-general for now also doubled up as a public prosecutor and had to be seen as someone with experience in criminal law.
Even though he did not clearly say so, he was alluding to Thomas, who has little experience of criminal law in his career.
“The A-G is also a public prosecutor, until the constitution is amended. That has been there since 1957. Therefore, a person that occupies the office must have working and first-hand knowledge of criminal law, procedure, and practice .
“Otherwise, how is he going to draft a charge? What respect is the Attorney-General’s Chambers going to have for a man who doesn’t know criminal law?”
Thomas, a top lawyer and constitutional expert, has been proposed as the replacement for Mohamed Apandi Ali, whose reputation has been tainted since he cleared former prime minister Najib Razak of wrongdoing in the 1Malaysia Development Bhd (1MDB) scandal several years ago.
Dr Mahathir reportedly believes that Thomas’ appointment will ensure the presence of a skilled litigator in the chambers to handle all high-profile cases, including the prosecution of those involved in the 1MDB scandal.
However, the Malay rulers have yet to give Thomas’ appointment the nod, two weeks after Dr Mahathir wrote to the Yang di-Pertuan Agong about removing Apandi, who has been ordered by the new administration to go on garden leave.
Among the objections raised against Thomas’ appointment were that he was not Malay or Muslim, raising concerns that he would not be in the right position to advise the government from an Islamic perspective.
Dr Mahathir said yesterday that Putrajaya would not nominate anyone else for the position. – June 4, 2018.
Comments
Posted 5 years ago by Lee Lee · Reply
Posted 5 years ago by Malaysian First · Reply
The essence of democracy is that the power to rule is vested with the people – not the monarch or the dictator. And the people rule through their representatives, elected periodically through elections.
For this reason, our constitution meticulously spells out that all decisions of governance are to be exercised by the Executive, except the few which have been clearly identified and stipulated as the exclusive right of the monarch.
As such, all key appointments, except that of the PM, are to be decided by the Executive, and the appointment of the AG is no exception.
It is sincerely hoped that despite the recent differences of opinion, the Agong will abide by the constitution and appoint the new AG as advised by the PM; and such adherence by the Agong to the constitution will certainly be looked upon as a positive development for our constitutional monarchy.
Posted 5 years ago by Kim quek · Reply
It seems a good compromise if Idris is AG, then Thomas can be appointed as prosecutor working on 1MDB and other cases. Idris seems free from Thomas' baggages and lack of merits on rumor-mill like: * Shariah competency * Malay proficiency * Communist sympathizer * PH crony * Political lawyer * Biased prosecutor * Christian pastor * Christian evangelist * Christian proselytizer * Blasphemy (murtad) supporter.
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