By reducing the constitution to a piece of bathroom tissue de facto Law Minister Rais Yatim has insulted Their Royal Highnesses and the judiciary.

It seems most convenient that the Acting Agong has given his consent to the appointment of the attorney-general in the nick of time. However, I wonder if the Conference of Rulers would really have appointed a new king who might impede the appointment, as suggested by Salbiah Ahmad ('A crisis averted', Dec 9).

Would any Ruler dare refuse consent? Even so, surely the ensuing constitutional crisis would only be won by the real powers that be. I was tickled by reports over here in London that should Sultan Mizan be elected as the next Agong he could pose a threat to Premier Dr Mahathir Mohamad. Any resistance to Mahathir by the Rulers would only be countered by further curbs to their powers (if indeed they have any power left that can be curbed).

The Rulers acting in concert back in 1988 could not revoke the suspension order of Tun Salleh Abas. But the Conference of Rulers was responsible for the appointment of our current Chief Justice.

I am unsure if the constitutional provisions for the appointment of the AG are so different to that of the Chief Justice, but it would seem that the ruling party is keen to pre-empt the Conference this time round. Consider this: If reports that royal consent had been given are false, will the Acting Agong say that in fact has not been given? I am just waiting for the prime minister to say that he "has not been informed" of the situation, as usual.

As for PAS MP Mahfuz Omar accusing the Barisan Nasional of thinking "nothing of the principles of constitutional monarchy", it is interesting to consider if a PAS government would respect and uphold our hallowed Constitution with regards to the Malay Rulers, the traditional heads of Islam. Looking at relations between PAS and the Kelantan Sultan in recent times, much doubt is raised.

It is interesting to note that Mahathir conceded that Abdul Gani's appointment would be unconstitutional until royal assent was given. Perhaps Mahathir felt that recent sentiment following the late Agong's death would be nuisance for him, or perhaps he just wants to remind Rais that he still pulls the strings.

The Constitution of our country needs another look. It needs to be fixed, to ensure the true separation and independence of powers. Malaysia needs a modern Montesquieu to educate our politicians.