DATUK Seri Azalina Othman Said has proven to be “unfit” to advise the prime minister on governing the nation based on the rule of law and must step down as his special adviser for law and human rights, an opposition MP said.
This after the UMNO lawmaker said Prime Minister Datuk Seri Ismail Sabri Yaakob should appoint the attorney-general (AG) – the top legal adviser for the Government – from among “his people” to “make matters easier”.
On Saturday (Aug 27), Azalina reportedly told a special UMNO briefing that most democratic countries appoint their top legal officers from among their ruling coalitions and supporters as the AG is accorded “tremendous power” under the Federal Constitution, including the power to prosecute or drop criminal charges against any person.
The Pengerang MP added that the recent sentencing of Datuk Seri Najib Razak would “not be the last” among UMNO leaders, and blamed this on current AG Tan Sri Idrus Harus (although she did not mention him by name).
DAP’s spokesman on law and Parliament Datuk Ngeh Koo Ham said it was shocking for Azalina to make such a call, noting that such an AG would be biased towards UMNO.
“In the context of the call she made, she is saying the PM should appoint an AG who will act according to the PM’s dictates, including abusing the power of the AG, who acts as the public prosecutor, to withdraw charges against the corrupt and those who abused power, especially UMNO leaders.
“This is totally against the rule of law,” the Beruas MP said in a statement today (Aug 29), adding that the former de facto law minister should resign from her special adviser post immediately.
He also pointed out that this is exactly why the role of the public prosecutor must be separated from that of the AG, so as to avoid any potential abuse of power by the executive branch of Government.
“Answerable to Parliament, not PM”
“The public prosecutor should be made answerable to Parliament, rather than to the PM,” Ngeh added.
“Even after the roles of the AG are separated from that of the public prosecutor, the AG should still be expected to advise the Government to uphold the rule of law, rather than going against it.”
Malaysian United Democratic Alliance (MUDA) vice-president Lim Wei Jiet over the weekend said Azalina’s “true colours” had been revealed, adding that he hopes certain non-governmental organisations (NGO) “realise” this.
He further claimed that Azalina was “never really” a reformist, despite statements of hers during former prime minister Tan Sri Muhyiddin Yassin’s time in power indicating otherwise.
One such statement that netizens unearthed on social media was from July 2021 when Muhyiddin was prime minister. Azalina had said at the time that the AG not only advises the Cabinet but also the King.
Meanwhile, Parti Pribumi Bersatu Malaysia (PPBM) vice-president Datuk Mohd Radzi Jidin said Azalina’s decision to openly challenge Ismail’s choice of AG showed that UMNO had “not changed its ways” despite being booted out of the Government after the 14th General Elections (GE14).
“The fact is, UMNO wants to show that if they control the prime minister, they have the power to change whoever they like. That is their approach,” he reportedly said yesterday. – Aug 29, 2022
