Opposition Leader Lim Kit Siang called on Prime Minister Abdullah Ahmad Badawi to suspend the implementation of the Parliament Department until it is approved by both Houses in Parliament.

"A full debate and decision by the Dewan Rakyat and the Dewan Negara are indispensable for the establishment of a Department of Parliament which will completely restructure the powers, functions and administration of Parliament," he said.

In a statement today, he said the premier also needs to assure that the establishment of the department is not the most serious threat to the separation of powers doctrine pertaining in the nation's history.

He said he is very 'disturbed and upset' that the director-general (DG) of the department has already been appointed and is ready to move into Parliament next week.

The DG will take over large portions of powers and overseas functions currently exercised by the parliamentary administration.

"It poses an unprecedented and the gravest threat to the doctrine of separation of powers concerning Parliament," he stressed.

He said the move is being forced through without the fullest consultation with MPs, the civil society and the public.

"Malaysia risks being the laughing stock of the global parliamentary community as we would be the only country in the Commonwealth where there is a department of Parliament which virtually runs parliament, destroying its independence and autonomy," he said.

'Dangerous trend'

In an earlier statement, Lim said the setting up of the department was a 'great threat' to the doctrine of separation of powers and parliamentary independence from the executive.

"What the government should have done is set up a Ministry of Parliamentary Affairs to efficiently manage the government's parliamentary business," he said.

Citing India's Department of Parliamentary Affairs which was established in 1949 and later expanded into a ministry, Lim said the Indian model did not in any way replace or usurp parliamentary autonomy.

He said the new department under the Minister-in-Charge of parliamentary affairs Mohd Nazri Abdul Aziz could be welcome only if the cabinet wanted to effect administrative changes.

"It is a welcome development if it leads to more purposeful and meaningful inter-relations between Parliament and the executive," he said.

However, if the new Parliament Department aims to cannibalise and remove large swathes of the existing parliamentary administration and staff to create an entirely new entity under Nazri, then "... it would constitute a grave threat to the doctrine of separation of powers and to the principle of parliamentary autonomy from the executive."

"(This is) a dangerous trend that must not be permitted," he said.

Lim revealed that he will be meeting with Nazri next week to get the details of the establishment of the new department.

On Thursday, Nazri announced that the cabinet had agreed to establish a Parliament Department.

Nazri said the directive was effective Sept 15 and the department's director-general would be answerable to him and the Parliament Speaker.