KUALA LUMPUR: Prime Minister Datuk Seri Anwar Ibrahim today reaffirmed his unity government's commitment on the proposal to separate the roles and powers between the Attorney-General (AG) and public prosecutor (PP).
Responding to the calls to separate the powers between the AG and public prosecutor, which has intensified following Deputy Prime Minister Datuk Seri Dr Ahmad Zahid Hamidi's discharge not amounting to acquittal (DNAA) in the Yayasan Akalbudi case, Anwar said his government decided to carry on with the proposal soon after assuming office after the 15th general election last year.
He nevertheless stressed that the unity government cannot bulldoze and immediate execute the separation of powers between the AG and public prosecutor since it involves cost and requires two-third majority to implement the proposal.
"We have even referred the matter to a Parliament Select Committee. Although it involves a huge sum of cost, it has to be done since it will strengthened the role of the AG and public prosecutor.
"With that, please do not suggest that it (the proposal to separate the roles and powers of the AG and public prosecutor) has not been decided (by the unity government).
"You cant bulldoze (the proposal) in a few weeks… You need to have a two-third majority (in Parliament) to affect this reform," he told reporters here today.
Anwar was asked to comments on calls for the government to expedite the separation of powers between the AG and public prosecutor.
Last month, Minister in the Prime Minister's Department (Law and Institutional Reform) Datuk Seri Azalina Othman Said said that the government would carry out an empirical study on the proposal.
Azalina said that 19 existing laws and the Federal Constitution needed to be amended for the separation of powers between the AG and public prosecutor to be implemented.
She also revealed that the proposal would involved cost and additional governmental spending for it to be implemented.