By Yasmin Ramlan
SHAH ALAM, July 27 — There is currently no legal or constitutional requirement for the posts of prime minister and finance minister to be held by separate individuals, Minister in the Prime Minister's Department (Law and Institutional Reform) Datuk Seri Azalina Othman Said said today.
"The appointment of Cabinet ministers is the prime minister's decision. It is up to the prime minister of the day to decide who should serve as ministers, including the finance minister," she said.
Azalina was responding to a supplementary question from Senator Datuk Abdul Halim Suleiman on whether the government would consider introducing legislation to separate the two positions as part of its institutional reform agenda.
She said the issue should not be viewed solely in terms of the offices held.
"To me, it is not about the position, but the individual. If the individual is capable of distinguishing the responsibilities, then that is the conclusion we should draw.
"There is no legal provision or constitutional requirement that mandates the separation of the two posts," she said during the Dewan Negara question-and-answer session.
Earlier, Azalina reiterated that the Madani government remained committed to implementing institutional reforms in stages to strengthen governance, uphold the rule of law and boost public confidence in national institutions.
Among the government's key reform priorities for 2026 are separating the roles of the Attorney General and Public Prosecutor, limiting the prime minister's tenure to a maximum of 10 years, introducing the Freedom of Information Act 2026 and establishing Ombudsman Malaysia.
Azalina said the Parliamentary Special Select Committee (PSSC) had completed its review and stakeholder engagements on the proposed separation of the Attorney General and Public Prosecutor roles, with its report already tabled in the Dewan Rakyat.
She added that the Cabinet had agreed for the report to first be presented to the Conference of Rulers, which is expected to meet in October, before the proposed constitutional amendments are tabled at the first Parliament sitting next year.
"God willing, the Conference of Rulers will meet in October, and during the final Parliament sitting this year, we hope to proceed with the constitutional amendments relating to the Attorney General and Public Prosecutor," she said.
On the proposed Political Funding Act, Azalina said the Bill remains under review by the Legal Affairs Division as wider engagement with political parties is still needed.
"The Political Funding Act is still under review because political parties are its primary stakeholders. What is important is that the political parties themselves are committed to having such a law.
"My party has no issue with it, but broader engagement is still needed before it can be enacted," she said.
