Idrus’s tenure is set to end today after being appointed on March 6, 2020, days after Muhyiddin Yassin took office as prime minister.

Kalidas questioned why there was a delay in the announcement given that the AG is such an important position.

“It would be prudent if the prime minister does not wait until the eleventh hour to advise the Yang di-Pertuan Agong and announce the appointment in the event of vacancy or the extension of the current appointment,” he told FMT.

Under the Federal Constitution, the King appoints the AG, who is also the public prosecutor, on the advice of the prime minister.

Yesterday, law minister Wan Junaidi Tuanku Jaafar was tight-lipped on the matter.

“I cannot confirm anything. Even if I’m involved, it is not up to me to make the announcement because the prime minister will be the one to do so,” The Vibes quoted him as saying.

Idrus, 67, is a former Federal Court judge and once served as solicitor-general as well as legal adviser to the Election Commission and the Malaysian Anti-Corruption Commission (MACC).

He is the brother of Dewan Rakyat speaker Azhar Harun.

Meanwhile, Ipoh Barat MP M Kulasegaran said the AG’s position cannot be left vacant, especially when the government has many legal decisions to make.

“Who will advise the government in the absence of the AG? Many decisions may be delayed as a result,” he said.

He told FMT it was usual for successors to be identified long in advance, adding that it was “highly irregular” and an “embarrassment” for any country to make such decisions at the eleventh hour.

Kulasegaran said the delay also raised many questions over the fate of the “court cluster”, which refers to the group of Umno leaders facing trial on charges of corruption, abuse of power and money laundering, among others.

“Some are wondering if the Cabinet and the prime minister are not happy with the AG because he is still prosecuting individuals in the famous court cluster,” he said.