KUALA LUMPUR: The government is committed to separating the powers between the executive, legislature and judiciary to ensure the integrity of the legal institution, said Minister in the Prime Minister’s Department (Law and Institutional Reform) Datuk Seri Azalina Othman Said.

At a luncheon with law society presidents in the Parliament building today, she said the government needs all three branches to hold true to their functions and roles to ensure the laws do not only exist on paper but are actively upheld, respected and justly interpreted in the real world.

“We need democracy to draft good laws, good enforcement to implement the laws, and an independent judiciary to interpret the law freely and consciously.

“We need these branches to uphold the law and this government led by Prime Minster (Datuk Seri Anwar Ibrahim) is very much aware and he himself personally wants to see the separation of the three branches, and no intervention, which actually is consistent with his vision,” she said. 

Azalina said the law should serve the people in many ways, including maintaining the peace, providing justice and giving people a better life. 

Azalina said as the minister in charge of law and institutional reform, she will continue to listen to law students and the voices of young people and provide them with a platform to exercise their voice.

“As a matter of fact, the Legal Affairs Division is in the midst of organising the Piala Perdana Menteri Moot Court Competition for Malaysian law students that will take place next year,” she said.

-- BERNAMA