SHAH ALAM – Senior lawyer Mohamed Haniff Khatri Abdulla has disagreed with Pasir Gudang MP Hassan Abdul Karim's claim that the Conference of Rulers has no authority to deliberate on constitutional matters.
Haniff pointed out that the Federal Constitution explicitly grants the Yang di-Pertuan Agong the discretion to call for a Conference of Rulers meeting and take necessary action under Article 40 Clause 2(c).
"Isn’t the issue of how the government and the Attorney General’s Chambers (AGC) handle royal decrees directly tied to the privileges, status and dignity of the monarchy?
"This is why I suggest that the Agong, in exercising his discretion, should convene a meeting to specifically address the Royal Decree Addendum," he said.
In his YouTube video on Sunday, Haniff stressed that Malaysia is already in a constitutional crisis, with Prime Minister Datuk Seri Anwar Ibrahim admitting that the royal decree addendum was submitted to the Attorney General in January last year but has yet to be disclosed.
Haniff’s remarks came in response to Hassan’s assertion that it would be inappropriate for the Conference of Rulers to discuss allegations that Putrajaya has refused to acknowledge or implement the royal decree addendum, which suggested that Najib serve the remainder of his sentence under house arrest.
Hassan argued that involving the Conference of Rulers could risk triggering a constitutional crisis and suggested that the issue be debated in Parliament instead.
While Haniff agreed that Parliament should address the matter, he stated that the next session is not set to begin until Feb 3.
"Although the government has the legal authority to request an emergency parliamentary session from the Dewan Rakyat speaker, would the Prime Minister consider it?.
"Rather than extending the ongoing constitutional crisis, the Conference of Rulers should convene to discuss the matter, complementing any later discussions in Parliament," Haniff added.
Finally, Haniff clarified that while Najib’s judicial review is scheduled for Jan 13 for case management, the decision will only concern the legality and failure to disclose the royal decree.