Appointment of Tommy as AG timely — Cenbet

KUALA LUMPUR: The appointment of Tommy Thomas as Attorney-General comes at a time when the country is undergoing robust changes, says The Centre for A Better Tomorrow (Cenbet).

In a statement here yesterday, Cenbet believes Thomas has what it takes to carry out the job given his track record and experience as a renowned lawyer with over 40 years of industry expertise.

“We would like to congratulate Thomas on his appointment as the new Attorney-General and are gratified that his candidature has been endorsed by the Bar Council and the legal fraternity at large.

“As an advocacy group for transparency and good governance, we are also glad that at the end of the day, his appointment was not based on race or creed but merit,” said the statement.

Cenbet also said the Yang di-Pertuan Agong Sultan Muhammad V must be commended for upholding the Federal Constitution and stated that the federal government had also acted wisely to defuse a potential constitutional crisis.

“The drama preceding the appointment, however, should be a cautionary tale of attempts to subvert the supremacy of the constitution, which we should all stand against,” the statement further said.

Moving forward, Cenbet hopes that Thomas will be able to live up to the public’s expectations of upholding the rule of law to the highest standards, including his priority to prosecute high-profile corruption cases to underline the new government’s zero-tolerance on graft and abuse of power.

On June 4, Sultan Muhammad V, on the advice of Prime Minister Tun Dr Mahathir Mohamad, had given his consent to the appointment of Thomas as Attorney-General according to Article 145 (1) of the Federal Constitution. Bernama