DAP's Bukit Gelugor MP Ramkarpal Singh has lauded de facto law minister Azalina Othman's stance on the Malaysian Bar's independence and urged Putrajaya to heed her view.

He said this in reference to Azalina's statement in Parliament last week that the government should not intervene in the affairs of the Bar.

Azalina, who is also a lawyer, was commenting on the proposed amendments to the Legal Profession Act (LPA) 1976 which seeks to install two government representatives in the Bar Council.

"I welcome Azalina’s said stand and urge the government to abandon its said proposal as the same certainly does not inspire confidence when the minister who is supposed to table it in the event it comes up for debate herself does not believe in it," said Ramkarpal in a statement today.

The DAP lawmaker said the Bar had always been independent and the government had no business in interfering in the body's affairs.

He added that attempts to push through with the amendments will be construed as the government trying to silence the Bar which has been critical of the government in certain aspects.

"There can be no justification for such interference especially when other professionals such as doctors and engineers enjoy absolute independence through the bodies which represent them.

"The same must apply to lawyers," said Ramkarpal, who is a lawyer.

The Bar had been highly critical of attorney-general Mohamed Apandi Ali's refusal to prosecute in the 1MDB scandal involving top government figures.

It had also filed a judicial review application against Apandi's decision.