Leave it in the hands of Dr M

THE choice of the attorney general is the prerogative of the sitting prime minister. This is clear in our Constitution. And in the same breath, the position of our monarchy is enshrined and safeguarded in our parliamentary democracy.

The constitution must be supreme for rule of law to thrive.

Tun Dr Mahathir Mohamad, being unique and unequalled in his experience of appointing three AGs during his previous stint as our fourth prime minister, is now on the verge of appointing the fourth in his second tenure. There is enough wisdom in these numbers for our 92-year-old fighter!

He is aware that the people have had enough of the injustices that enveloped us in such a magnitude that it has affected the very fabric of our socio-economic wellbeing.

From the courts to the cash hoarders, enough is enough is the roll call among the rakyat, young and old. This call is so loud and clear, it would be prudent for all in the political spectrum to take heed.

The AG’s office is the backbone of the criminal justice system and the investigative arm is totally dependent and subservient to it. The totality in discretion of prosecution by the AG and the fusion of powers of these two branches make him a very powerful player in our justice system.

But we have had enough miscarriages of justice, poor prosecution strategies (as in the Altantuya case) and the fiasco of our most prominent investigative arms, the police and MACC, being at loggerheads as the AG’s Chambers remained silent, just to name a few.

The inept handling of the 1MDB investigations was the straw that broke the camel’s back. After putting up with such incompetence for so long, the dam finally burst during the 14th General Election when the people voted in a new government. The perpetrators will finally face the legal consequences of their misdeeds.

The prime minister should be given the chance to set the house in order and we have to go with his choice of who becomes AG. Furthermore, I think he should go one step further and make both the custodians of investigation and prosecution accountable to Parliament, and this includes the manner of their appointments. G. SELVA Ipoh