Separating the roles of the attorney-general and the public prosecutor could take about a year to put into effect, Law and Institutional Reform Minister Azalina Othman Said said on Nov 4.
She said the reform requires amendments to the Federal Constitution as well as 21 related laws, all of which must go through Parliament. As Parliament sits only three times a year, she said, the change could not take effect immediately even after a constitutional amendment is tabled.
Azalina dismissed the idea that the roles could be split the day after the amendment is tabled, saying the scale of the legislative changes meant it would not happen overnight.
She urged MPs on both sides of the House to back the reform, noting that a constitutional amendment needs a two-thirds majority, or the support of at least 148 MPs. The reform should rise above party lines, she said, as it would ultimately benefit political parties by guarding against allegations of politically motivated prosecutions after an election or a change of government. Full support from MPs would also show the public that political leaders agree on its importance, she added.
She was speaking to reporters on the sidelines of the Forum on Asian Insolvency Reform (FAIR) 2026 in Kuala Lumpur.
The separation of the two roles is one of two reforms the government has committed to deliver before the end of the parliamentary term under the confidence and supply agreement signed with a group of opposition MPs on Oct 29, alongside a limit on the prime minister’s tenure. Bills on both reforms were first tabled in the Dewan Rakyat in February but have yet to be passed.
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