Seed Community for a Professional Parliament (SEED) said that under present parliamentary laws, the Dewan Rakyat can call anyone who threatens or questions the powers of the House.

Attorney-General Idrus Harun had said those asking for a parliamentary confidence vote on the prime minister were attempting to override the absolute powers of the King.

SEED said Idrus’ remarks also called into question the King’s call on Aug 18 that a confidence motion be moved in Parliament.

“Is the AG, in fact, taking the position that the King’s advice was unconstitutional or should not be followed?” a statement co-signed by Bersih, Bait Al-Amanah, Undi18, Engage, Reform and Ideas read today.

SEED said the attorney-general’s interpretation of an absolute monarchy was “indefensible” and called into question his suitability for the office.

“The AG’s conclusions are preposterous. It goes against the spirit and letter of Malaysia’s constitutional democracy and embarrasses the office of the AG,” it said.

It said eminent law scholars had said the King’s discretion to pick a prime minister was a form of “controlled discretion” and not an absolute one.

“As every Malaysian knows, Malaysia practises a system of parliamentary democracy with a constitutional monarchy, under which no institution has absolute power – whether it is the constitutional monarch, the executive, the parliament or the judiciary.

“All of these institutions exercise their powers based on the limits imposed under the constitution, the principles of constitutional democracy and the rule of law,” it said.