Attorney-general (AG) Mohamed Apandi Ali has been urged to resign over a video allegedly depicting him dancing with several cabinet ministers during the National Day celebration last week.

Critics have raised concerns that the AG, seen fraternising with ruling party leaders, has placed his impartiality into question.

Former Batu Kawan Umno division vice-chief Khairuddin Abu Hassan sent a memorandum today to the Attorney-General's Chambers demanding Apandi's resignation within 24 hours.

"If you (Apandi) fail (to resign within 24 hours), then understand that we will take all necessary steps that are allowed by law to ensure that you are removed as the attorney-general," Khairuddin said, as he read out his memorandum to reporters outside the AG's Chambers in Putrajaya today.

However, Khairuddin declined to say what these further steps would be, adding he will reveal them at a future press conference.

His next move will also depend on the response from the attorney-general to his memorandum, he said.

Khairuddin added that he was not representing any group by presenting the memorandum and that he was delivering it as a concerned citizen of Malaysia.

Behaviour inappropriate

Apandi's behaviour during the National Day celebration last Wednesday, he said, was inappropriate for an attorney-general.

"He, as the attorney-general, should behave a bit better. He should not show his friendliness to politicians, ministers or members of the public.

"Ethically, this is not right because, in the future, if for example he is forced to make a decision against the ministers, the rakyat would have a negative perception," Khairuddin said.

He also questioned how anyone could trust Apandi's decisions on the 1MDB matter, after seeing him supposedly fraternising with cabinet ministers, as shown in the video clip.

Separately, Amanah international bureau chief Raja Kamarul Bahrin Raja Ahmad Shah also reminded Apandi on the need to be impartial, and to be seen as being impartial.

”I feel that the attorney-general must be impartial in this issue because he is the main person to decide on any prosecution.

“So therefore he should not have been seen as being ‘too close’ to the government. Such actions (like dancing with ministers) would compromise his impartial position (on government related cases),” the Kuala Terengganu MP told reporters when met outside Istana Negara in Kuala Lumpur today.

Alleged inaction

Also present was Amanah communications director Khalid Samad, who said that Apandi’s action should be viewed in context of alleged inaction on cases linked to the Malaysian Official One, who was mentioned 36 times in the United States Department of Justice’s 1MDB-linked civil suit.

Minister in the Prime Minister’s Department Abdul Rahman Dahlan had last week told England’s BBC that MO1 referred to prime minister Najib Abdul Razak.

Najib has consistently denied using public funds for personal gain, insisting that the RM2.6 billion deposited in his private bank accounts was a donation from the Middle East.

This was later corroborated by Apandi, who subsequently cleared Najib of wrongdoing and claimed the money was a donation from Saudi Arabia.

In a video revealed by lawyer Haniff Khatri last Friday, a man resembling Apandi is seen dancing with five ministers - Wan Junaidi Tuanku Jaafar, Salleh Said Keruak, Maximus Ongkili, Azalina Othman Said and Nancy Shukri.

The event appeared to be last Wednesday's Merdeka Day parade at Dataran Merdeka in Kuala Lumpur.