SUNGAI PETANI: The proposed separation of powers between the Attorney General’s Chambers and the Public Prosecutor’s Office is still being studied, says Datuk Ahmad Terrirudin Mohd Salleh.
The Attorney General said the committee involved in the process had visited several countries to conduct an empirical study on the separation of the departments’ roles.
“A team from the Attorney General’s Chambers is also in the committee. They are conducting studies and have visited several countries... The time frame (for implementation) is uncertain,” he said.
Ahmad Terrirudin was met by reporters after launching the Santuni Madani Programme of the Attorney General’s Department at Paya Nahu People’s Housing Programme (PPR) here yesterday, Bernama reported.
In October last year, Minister in the Prime Minister’s Department (Law and Institutional Reform) Datuk Seri Azalina Othman Said had mentioned that the separation of the Attorney General and the Public Prosecutor’s roles will be implemented in phases after the government takes into account complexities and challenges in its implementation.
Azalina told the Dewan Rakyat that in the first phase, a Special Task Force on Comparative Studies is conducting a study on several countries to examine and formulate the most appropriate model in the Malaysian context.
Meanwhile, Ahmad Terrirudin said the Santuni Madani Programme is a vehicle to unite the community through collaboration programmes with various government agencies at the district level and the PPR Paya Nahu Local Residents Association.“
This programme is the brainchild of Prime Minister Datuk Seri Anwar Ibrahim who wants all department heads or directors-general to return to their respective villages to contribute and strengthen friendships.
“Various activities are provided, including a Legal Aid Clinic by the Legal Aid Department, health checks, briefings by the Prisons Department, the police, the Information Department, SWCorp and the Attorney General’s Department,” he said.
He added that the one-day programme is aimed at improving the village’s potential and community capacity through direct monitoring and discussion to identify socio-economic problems and the needs of residents.
