Malaysia’s king has approved the appointment of an ethnic Indian lawyer as the new attorney general, amid protests from Islamic groups that the job must be held by a Muslim.
Malaysia’s king has approved the appointment of an ethnic Indian lawyer as the new attorney general, amid protests from Islamic groups that the job must be held by a Muslim. A palace statement says Sultan Muhammad V has approved terminating current Attorney General Mohamad Apandi Ali and replacing him with Tommy Thomas, the first minority to hold the post in 55 years.
Groups representing ethnic Malays, who make up two-thirds of Malaysia’s 31 million people, have demanded the top legal job be given to a Muslim to protect the status of Islam as the official religion. The statement Tuesday said the king urged all Malaysians to ensure Thomas’ appointment doesn’t “create religious or racial conflict as every Malaysian should be treated fairly regardless of race and religion.”
“The appointment will preserve the special rights of the Malays and Bumiputera and the status of Islam as the religion of the federation,” palace official Wan Ahmad Dahlan Abdul Aziz said in a statement on behalf of the king late on Monday.
Bumiputera means “sons of the soil”. Thomas is the first non-Malay to take the post of attorney-general since Malaysia was formed in 1963. Malaysia’s council of rulers, which is formed by the heads of the country’s nine sultanates, was initially scheduled to meet on Tuesday to discuss the government’s plan to appoint Thomas.
Its decision is likely to quell dissent in the Muslim Malay community, which makes up about 60 percent of Malaysia’s population of roughly 32 million. An ethnic Indian Christian, Thomas’ key task will be to prosecute those involved in graft at heavily indebted state fund 1Malaysia Development Berhad (1MDB). The 1MDB scandal was one of the main reasons behind the downfall of former prime minister Najib Razak. Mahathir proposed Thomas for the job nearly two weeks ago, domestic media have reported, after ordering Mohamed Apandi to go on leave. Mohamed Apandi cleared Najib of any wrongdoing in the multi-billion dollar 1MDB scandal.
Najib denies any wrongdoing but has been barred from leaving the country since his election defeat and enforcement agencies have relaunched a probe into how 1MDB funds went missing.
Groups representing ethnic Malays, who make up two-thirds of Malaysia’s 31 million people, have demanded the top legal job be given to a Muslim to protect the status of Islam as the official religion. The statement Tuesday said the king urged all Malaysians to ensure Thomas’ appointment doesn’t “create religious or racial conflict as every Malaysian should be treated fairly regardless of race and religion.”
“The appointment will preserve the special rights of the Malays and Bumiputera and the status of Islam as the religion of the federation,” palace official Wan Ahmad Dahlan Abdul Aziz said in a statement on behalf of the king late on Monday.
Bumiputera means “sons of the soil”. Thomas is the first non-Malay to take the post of attorney-general since Malaysia was formed in 1963. Malaysia’s council of rulers, which is formed by the heads of the country’s nine sultanates, was initially scheduled to meet on Tuesday to discuss the government’s plan to appoint Thomas.
Its decision is likely to quell dissent in the Muslim Malay community, which makes up about 60 percent of Malaysia’s population of roughly 32 million. An ethnic Indian Christian, Thomas’ key task will be to prosecute those involved in graft at heavily indebted state fund 1Malaysia Development Berhad (1MDB). The 1MDB scandal was one of the main reasons behind the downfall of former prime minister Najib Razak. Mahathir proposed Thomas for the job nearly two weeks ago, domestic media have reported, after ordering Mohamed Apandi to go on leave. Mohamed Apandi cleared Najib of any wrongdoing in the multi-billion dollar 1MDB scandal.
Najib denies any wrongdoing but has been barred from leaving the country since his election defeat and enforcement agencies have relaunched a probe into how 1MDB funds went missing.