KUALA LUMPUR, Sept 23 — The prime minister should only have limited powers over the appointment of major government posts, said former Court of Appeal judge Mohamad Ariff Md Yusof today.

"I think this system of the appointments being made by the Yang di Pertuan Agong with the advice of the prime minister, it can only work in England," he said during the Malaysian Bar's International Law Conference today.

"This system has to be changed. The prime minister can't have too much power," he added.

Former Malaysian Bar president Kuthbul Zaman Bukhari, who was also on the panel discussing the role of institutions in a democracy, went further by saying that the "prerogative" of the PM in deciding the appointments should be removed.

He said this was particularly vital for positions in agencies with investigative and prosecutorial powers, in order to prevent conflicts of interest.

"How do you expect the Inspector General of Police to investigate the PM when the appointment is made by the PM?" he asked.