Prime Minister Najib Razak's recent Kazakhstan trip, lop-sided IPP agreements and former Selangor mentri besar Khir Toyo's RM6.5 million cash renovations are likely to top the list of questions to be asked when the mid-year Parliament session starts on Monday.
The seesion will last from June 13 to June 28, and Malaysians can expect a lively debate from the Pakatan Rakyat lawmakers led by Opposition Leader Anwar Ibrahim. However, whether Prime Minister Najib Razak's government will be as forthcoming with credible answers is less likely, gauging from past records.
Nonetheless, Pakatan MPs have vowed to get to the bottom of allegations that Najib and his wife had abused public money by timing an official visit with the engagement of their youngest daughter to the son of a wealthy and powerful Kazakh official.
They plan to demand that the first couple comes clean on their expenses. Malaysians have been outraged by the possibility that PM and his wife had flown in their personal guests for the engagement under the guise of 'official entourage'.
"Najib needs to separate out his personal guests from the officials who had valid reasons to go to Kazakh. Just imagine all the first-class air fare, hotel fees and what-not. It's no joke you know," Kuala Selangor MP Dzulkefly Ahmad told Malaysia Chronicle.
His colleague, Pokok Sena MP Mahfuz Omar, questioned whether the large Kazakh-bound entourage of 200 people was necessary if the trip was just to return an official visit made by the Kazakh prime minister to Malaysia in 2006. This was the reason given for the trip, according to UMNO Youth chief Khairy Jamaluddin.
Mahfuz also pointed out that less than 5 nations had attended the World Islamic Economic Forum (WIEF), held at the sidelines of the Kazakh visit, the secondary reason given for the trip. Mahfuz demanded that the PM explain the basis for spending so much money and taking such a large group to the forum, when back home, Najib was asking the people to tighten their belts and accept a slew of price hikes.
Handbag shocker
PAS leaders also plan to raise the issue of Rosmah's prized handbags, alleged to be worth RM1 million and called on the Malaysian Anti-Corruption Commission to investigate the matter.
"This is not a frivolous issue at all. How can she afford such expensive bags. How come she and Najib can spend so much beyond their means? There are serious issues. The RM1 million can be put to good use in building facilities in the rural towns, giving scholarships and so forth," Mahfuz told Malaysia Chronicle.
Meanwhile, PKR Women's chief and Ampang MP Zuraida Kamaruddin said the "spendthrift" ways of the first couple made nonsense of the warning given by Idris Jala, the minister in the PM's Department, who in 2010 issued a wake-up call to the nation.
Idris had warned in no certain terms Malaysia could go bankrupt by 2019, the same way as Greece did. Yet instead of biting the bullet and leading the way, Zuraida expressed disappointment that Najib and Rosmah had chosen to "live it up" at the nation's expense.
"Things are no longer the same. There is now a strong opposition in Malaysia and we keep questioning and grilling them. They can be stubborn and arrogant but they do so at their own peril. Voters will surely teach them a lesson in the next election," Zuraida told Malaysia Chronicle.
Khir Toyo oozing cash
Another hot topic to be raised in Parliament is where did Khir Toyo find RM6.5 million cash to renovate his Bali-themed super-luxury mansion in Shah Alam.
According to Mahfuz, the BN government was deflecting attention from the source of Khir Toyo's wealth. Instead of hunting to the ground the source of the possible corruption, how widespread it is, and if others are involved, the Najib administration has only charged Khir for purchasing the mansion at a much-discounted rate.
"When a politician has amassed wealth beyond his pay-cheque, his source of funds must be investigated and his network or syndicate busted. Until that is done, the public will surely accuse Khir Toyo's trial as being just an eye-wash," said Mahfuz.
The PAS vice president also called on the MACC and the Income Tax Department to investigate. So far, the agencies - for reasons better known to themselves - have kept mum on the topic.
Meanwhile, Zuraida urged the public to be vigilant and insist that the government gives full and credible answers.
She said Malaysians can be sure that Najib will be the first to resist giving any satisfactory answers, let alone volunteer explanations in the name of good governance and transparency.
"Even in the august House, the BN Government does not answer questions in a manner that is transparent and responsible, what more the other government institutions? It is beyond a bad example. Najib and BN are treating Parliament as though it is their own mansion. Malaysian voters must teach them how to respect their wishes for check-and-balance," said Zuraida.
IPPs and the 'untouchable' cronies
As for DAP MPs, they plan to raise the issue of the government's lop-sided agreements with the Independent Power Producers, who have been blamed for snagging the bulk of government subsidies - to the tune of at least RM19 billion.
Most of the IPPs are controlled by tycoons with links to the UMNO elite, and according to DAP leaders, instead of cutting their portion of the subsidies, the Najib administration has chosen to take it out on the man on the street with electricity and petrol price hikes.
DAP's Senator Tunku Abdul Aziz, who is Penang's representative in the Dewan Negara, urged the public to demand answers from the government and to make known their disapproval if the Najib administration continued to refuse to co-operate.
"The rakyat (populace) must demand that they be held accountable in all areas of administration in the running of the affairs of the state," said Tunku Aziz.
- Malaysia Chronicle
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