KUALA LUMPUR – Former chief justice Tun Abdul Hamid Mohamad’s proposal for the establishment of a federal privy council is to allow the Yang di-Pertuan Agong and Malay Rulers to make the best decision when the need calls for it.
However, Perak Dewan Negara member Datuk Seri Mohd Annuar Zaini opined that experts within the proposed council should not be restricted to only legal and constitutional fields, but also include, among others, economics, education, politics, religion, racial relations and sociocultural matters.
“We can think of a suitable name for the privy council, such as the Consultative Council or Advisory Council to the Yang di-Pertuan Agong and Council of Rulers,” he told The Vibes’ Bahasa Malaysia sister portal Getaran.
“The concept can be taken from existing models, such as the Dewan Negara Perak, Dewan Diraja Selangor and similar bodies that exist in each state. Each ruler in each state has such an entity.
“Keep in mind that the institution of the king is a new institution formed following the independence of Malaya, and the embodiment of the institution of the Yang di-Pertuan Agong must not be complemented by a body similar to the shape of the ruler at the state level.”
His response follows a statement by Hamid, who made the proposal last week.
Hamid had suggested that it is time the Yang di-Pertuan Agong has an independent advisory body to counterbalance and compliment the advice presented by the attorney-general in cases of difference in interpretation, grey areas and views between Istana Negara and the executive body.
Annuar said he is of the view that the establishment of a privy council should be considered based on the reaction of the people, following the emergency declaration made by the king in January.
Since then, he added, the majority of the people believe that the ruler has been ill-advised, claiming that the emergency has been misused for political reasons.
As a result, Istana Negara has also been at the receiving end of the people’s anger.
The Agong and Malay rulers have since called to end the emergency, and return the voice of the people by reconvening Parliament and allowing state assemblies. – The Vibes, July 24, 2021
