KUALA LUMPUR, June 3 ― Prominent lawyer Datuk Seri Ambiga Sreenevasan waded into the brewing controversy over the government’s unprecedented nomination of a non-Malay, non-Muslim senior lawyer to be the next Attorney-General (AG).

Amid a push from certain groups for a Muslim candidate to “defend” Islam’s status as the religion of the federation, Ambiga countered by asking if race and religion were the determining criteria for “the best” in other professions.

“The concept of race and religion is so alien to choosing a professional one has confidence in. Does it matter when we need the best doctor or accountant?” the president of the National Human Rights Society posted on her Twitter account tonight.

In a series of tweets earlier, Ambiga, who is also a member of the government’s Institutional Reforms Committee pointed out that Thomas has acted as counsel to many different groups on a wide array of cases.

Among the high-profile cases was his legal representation for the PAS-led Kelantan government in its court dispute against the federal government over oil and gas royalties, she said while retweeting the same point posted by fellow lawyer Malik Imtiaz Sarwar.

PAS information chief Nasrudin Hassan had in a statement earlier today asserted that a Muslim AG is necessary to safeguard Islam as the religion of the federation, the interests of Malaysia's majority population, who are Muslims, and to properly advise the King as the religion's defenders.

 

 

“Tommy Thomas represents Kelantan in its petroleum dispute against Federal Govt. PAS doesn’t seem to have a problem with that,” Malik posted on Twitter earlier.

Ambiga also retweeted another posted by civil rights lawyer Syahredzan Johan who highlighted that Thomas was not the lawyer who had acted for DAP secretary-general Lim Guan Eng when he was charged with corruption over the purchase of his house in Penang.

“Tommy Thomas is not the lawyer representing LGE in the bungalow trial. Tommy is representing LGE in the contempt proceedings filed by Apandi for comments made by LGE after he was charged,” Syahredzan posted in response to an allegation by another Twitter user.

Tan Sri Mohamed Apandi Ali, referred to in the Twitter dispute, is the incumbent AG who has been put on garden leave for suspected complicity in past investigations on the 1Malaysia Development Berhad scandal.

Prime Minister Tun Dr Mahathir Mohamad has confirmed that Thomas was the government’s sole nominee for the AG post.

He also said the government will not be nominating anyone else for the job, but was quick to add that his administration will work on a solution over the AG impasse with the palace.

Various media had reported the Yang di-Pertuan Agong Sultan Muhammad V rejected Thomas’ candidacy, purportedly because he is non-Malay, non-Muslim and has never been a judge.

The Conference of Rulers is scheduled to meet on Tuesday to discuss the AG appointment.