King consents to appointment of Thomas as AG

KUALA LUMPUR: The Yang di-Pertuan Agong, Sultan Muhammad V, has consented to the appointment of Tommy Thomas as the Attorney-General (AG).
Giving his consent to Prime Minister Tun Dr Mahathir Mohamad's proposed candidate, the King said this is in accordance with Article 145 of the Federal Constitution.
Comp­troller of the Royal Household Datuk Wan Ahmad Dahlan Ab Aziz conveyed this in a statement dated June 4, released early this morning.
"The Yang di-Pertuan Agong also called on all Malaysians to accept that the appointment of the Attorney-General should not create religious or racial conflicts, because every Malaysian should be treated fairly regardless of race and religion.
"The appointment would continue to preserve the special rights and privileges of the Malays and Bumiputras, as well as the status of Islam as the federal religion," he said.
Wan Ahmad Dahlan also said that the King expressed disappointment and concern over various "inaccurate and negative" media reports of late, which could threaten peace and harmony in the country.
He said Sultan Muhammad has said that as King, he has the responsibility to uphold the provisions of the Federal Constitution and preserve the rights of Malays and Bumiputras as well as protect the religion of Islam.
“After taking into account the opinions of the Malay Rulers on the appointment of Attorney-General, the rights of Bumiputras and the roles of the Council of Rulers as stated under Article 153 of the Federal Constitution, the Yang di-Pertuan Agong also consented to Tan Sri Apandi Ali’s termination of service as the Attorney-General by the federal government,” Wan Ahmad Dahlan said.
The issue on the new appointment of Thomas as the AG has raised debate by various quarters questioning whether it is lawful to place a non-Malay or non-Muslim as AG and concerns over cronyism.