PETALING JAYA: The Citizen’s Declaration tabled by former premier Dr Mahathir Mohamad today has received the support of G25, a group of retired senior Malay civil servants.
Its spokesperson, Noor Farida Ariffin told FMT that while the group does not wish to speak on the call to have Prime Minister Najib Razak ousted, it applauded Dr Mahathir’s insistence on the need for a reform.
This is especially so given the fact that nearly all of the country’s public institutions had been compromised due to the lack of proper checks and balances in place which she said, is the best guarantee against abuse of power.
“Too much power is concentrated in the hands of the prime minister. The Attorney-General’s office needs to be separated from the public prosecutor to avoid conflict of interest.
“The MACC (Malaysian Anti-Corruption Commission) Act and the banking laws need to be amended to remove the requirement for these agencies to procure the consent of the AG before they can prosecute.
“These watchdog agencies have to be independent of government control if they are to play their role effectively. In short, there has to be a systemic change if we are ever going to achieve the status of a functional democracy,” she said in a text message to FMT.
The Citizens’ Declaration was signed today by 58 signatories which included prominent leaders such as DAP supremo Lim Kit Siang, PKR Deputy President Azmin Ali, suspended Umno Deputy President Muhyiddin Yassin, former Kedah Menteri Besar Mukhriz Mahathir, Amanah Deputy President Salahuddin Ayub, and PAS lawmaker Mahfuz Omar.
It called for Najib’s removal as prime minister, the removal of those who had acted in concert with him, a repeal of all recent laws which violated fundamental human rights and the restoration of the integrity of institutions allegedly undermined.