KUALA LUMPUR – The chairman of the Parliamentary Special Select Committee (PSSC) on Agencies under the Prime Minister’s Department had supposedly ignored calls by a member to interrogate issues revolving around the littoral combat ship (LCS) scandal.
Kota Melaka MP Khoo Poay Tiong said despite his proposal to summon the Malaysian Anti-Corruption Commission (MACC) to explain its probe into the matter, committee chairman Abdul Latiff Abdul Rahman, who is from PAS, had yet to provide a response.
The DAP lawmaker said this in expressing his frustration at being part of a PSSC which he said lacks the political will and leadership to function effectively.
The LCS scandal resurfaced following the August 4 release of the Public Accounts Committee’s report on findings related to the procurement of the six combat vessels, none of which have been delivered to date.
Two other previous reports on the scandal, namely by the Special Committee on Governance Investigation, Government Procurement and Finance and a separate internal forensic audit, have also since been declassified, highlighting multiple allegations of power abuse and corruption involving several individuals.
Apart from Latiff’s silence on the LCS procurement, Khoo also took particular issue with the controversy surrounding MACC chief commissioner Tan Sri Azam Baki’s ownership of millions of public shares.
He noted that it has been more than eight months since Azam was summoned by the PSSC to answer the allegations against him, but the nation’s top graft-buster continues to hold Parliament in contempt by refusing to appear before the committee.
“The PSSC has also faced numerous procedural roadblocks that made it toothless to scrutinise Azam. Among others, the committee chairman unilaterally cancelled the meeting after Azam wrote a letter explaining his refusal to attend,” he said in a statement today.
Khoo further pointed out that since the start of the year, the PSSC on Agencies under the Prime Minister’s Department has only convened three times despite his proposal to meet at least once a month.
“Most of the committee meetings have been filled with standard briefings and presentations by government agencies, while substantial issues such as the Azam Baki scandal are ignored.”
Frustrated by his committee’s ineffectiveness, Khoo proposed that it be dissolved upon its expiry on November 10 this year, accusing it of failing in its role to scrutinise and hold the government accountable on key public interest issues.
Separately, the DAP lawmaker hopes the Dewan Rakyat would critically review and strengthen the PSSC system in the upcoming Parliament sessions.
Among his suggestions for reform include narrowing the scope of the PSSCs to have clearer focus, clearly spelling out the role of the committee chairman, and establishing the ground rules for the basic functioning of the committees, including on the frequency of meetings and attendance of members.
He also suggested that Parliament makes it clear that it is compulsory for those summoned by the PSSCs to appear before them, and to open proceedings to the public. – The Vibes, September 27, 2022
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