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THE MADANI government will table a bill to separate the powers of the Attorney-General (AG) and the Public Prosecutor during the parliamentary session beginning this January, Prime Minister Datuk Seri Anwar Ibrahim said, marking a significant step in the administration’s institutional reform agenda.
Anwar said the proposed legislation would be among the first bills presented in Parliament, aimed at ensuring that prosecutorial functions are exercised independently, transparently and with integrity.
“What we are doing in reform measures or institutional reform in Parliament, the Ministry of Finance and the civil service, we are also implementing in the legal field,” he said.
“However, as the direction for the upcoming parliamentary session, this year and beyond, the first bill that we will table in Parliament in January is the law on the separation of powers between the Public Prosecutor and the Attorney-General.”
He made the remarks while delivering his 2026 New Year Address at the Prime Minister’s Department monthly assembly here today.
Anwar also disclosed that the Minister in the Prime Minister’s Department for Law and Institutional Reform, Datuk Seri Azalina Othman Said, is finalising the proposed Ombudsman Bill, which is intended to strengthen public accountability.
“This was discussed by Ibn Taymiyyah and was implemented in several countries during the era of the caliphates, namely an institution that gives the people space to raise any grievances,” he said.
“Because of that, without exception, from the Prime Minister downwards, everyone must be accountable and can be questioned.”
Raise in civil servant salaries not due to pressure
In a separate matter, Anwar addressed the government’s decision to raise civil service salaries, which has been implemented in stages since last year and will include judges this year.
He stressed that the move was not the result of pressure from public sector employees.
Instead, the Prime Minister said the salary adjustment was necessary given that the last comprehensive review of annual civil service pay increases took place at least a decade ago.
“When civil servants receive a pay rise, they start thinking about a new car or a new television. That increase results in an additional overall cost of RM18 billion,” he said.
“This is not because of demands from civil servants, but because we see that responsibilities have increased and for 12 years it has been acknowledged that these salaries merely fulfilled basic obligations as heads of households,” he added.
Anwar said the government began by ensuring fairness for public servants, including members of the judiciary, in response to questions over sharp salary increases of up to 30 per cent for judges.
“That is because for 10 years, since 2015, there has been no annual increment and no review,” he said.
The Prime Minister reiterated that the reforms reflect the government’s broader commitment to justice, accountability and institutional strengthening across all sectors of governance. - January 5, 2025