KUALA LUMPUR, Feb 27 — PKR vice-president N. Surendran insisted today that the Home Ministry has the prerogative to decide if imprisoned Datuk Seri Anwar Ibrahim can attend the next Dewan Rakyat sitting next month.

Surendran who is both a lawyer and lawmaker pointed out that the Prisons Department falls under the purview of the Home Ministry, and urged its minister Datuk Seri Ahmad Zahid Hamidi not to pass the buck to the attorney-general.

“The person who has authority that the person to bring Datuk Seri Anwar Ibrahim is under the home minister because the Prisons Department is under the home minister.

“So he has the authority and he should not beat around the bush,” Surendran told a news conference here, referring to Zahid.

The Padang Serai MP added that a letter has been sent to Zahid urging the home minister to allow Anwar to attend the Dewan Rakyat sitting from March 9 to April 9.

Lembah Pantai MP Nurul Izzah Anwar echoed Surendran's statement, adding that the home minister should not try and evade his responsibilities.

"It is very wrong and an attempt to avoid responsibility of his position. The Prison Department is under the Home Ministry and not the Attorney General. Only the Home Ministry or the federal government has the power to allow Datuk Seri Anwar to attend parliament," she said.

Nurul Izzah who is Anwar’s eldest daughter also said that a letter will be sent to the Prisons Department’s commissioner-general, to ask for the 67-year-old Permatang Pauh MP  to be released from the Sungai Buloh Prison to attend the Dewan Rakyat sitting on March 9.

She cited  section 31 (1) (a) of the Prison Act 1995 as empowering the prisons commissioner-general as the person to decide on an inmate’s release, “after being satisfied that there is a reasonable explanation that requires the presence at any location in Malaysia”.

PKR vice-president Chua Tian Chang said Zahid’s attempt to pass on responsibility to the Attorney General's Chambers with unnecessary red tape would leave the public prosecutor’s office little room and time to deal with its main legal functions.

"If he says that it is the AG's power, then hundreds of thousands of prisoners will have to write to the AG because their child has passed away, because their grandfather was admitted into the hospital, all sorts.

“The AG instead of dealing with legal cases then has to start accessing all the needs of the prisoners in this country," Chua said.

Yesterday, Zahid said it is for the Attorney-General to determine whether or not jailed Opposition Leader Datuk Seri Anwar Ibrahim can attend Parliament next month.

This was in contrast to an earlier statement made by Deputy Home Minister Datuk Seri Wan Junaidi Wan Jaafar saying that the ministry will consider allowing Anwar to attend the coming parliamentary meeting if the opposition leader applies for permission.

Questions have been raised concerning the possibility of Anwar attending the Dewan Rakyat sitting after the lower house speaker suspended disqualifying the PKR politician as Permatang Pauh MP pending an application for a royal pardon.