The government has confirmed its intention to establish an independent law commission to review and amend outdated laws, the Dewan Negara was told on Wednesday.

In a statement yesterday, deputy de facto Law Minister VK Liew said this was raised during the Dewan Negara debates on the abolition of the Banishment Act 1933 and the Restricted Residence Act 1957.

In reply to questions by various senators, Liew had replied that the commission would be independent.

"(The commission will) review laws that are considered outdated and archaic and in the process of such revision, make or draft laws that are equitable, modern, fair and efficient in accordance to the needs of the Malaysian society," he quoted himself as having said.

However, Liew did not state a timeline for the formation of the  body.

NONE He added that he envisions the commission to be established along the lines of the Australian Law Reform Commission and the British Law Commission.

Both institutions are politically independent, headed and manned solely by legal experts.

Such a commission would be essentially different to the Malaysian Law Reform Committee (MLRC) established in 2009 and headed by Liew, which is under the prime minister's department.

Refuting claims that the government lacks political will to introduce legal reforms, Liew said the MLRC has been actively reviewing archaic laws, citing its current major exercise in reviewing outdated business laws impeding business development.

In 2001, a joint report by four international legal groups has called for the establishment of an independent law commission in Malaysia along with a repeal of the stringent security laws.

The report Justice in Jeopardy: Malaysia in 2000 was authored by the International Bar Association, the Centre for the Independence of Judges and Lawyers of the International Commission of Jurists, the Commonwealth Lawyer's Association and the Union Internationale des Avocats.