1MDB hearing: PAC member slams colleagues for misleading public

A Public Accounts Committee (PAC) member has slammed his colleagues for speaking to the media after the PAC’s hearing into 1MDB where the company’s president, Arul Kanda Kandasamy had testified.

Gerakan MP Liang Teck Meng said the two PAC members had ignored the understanding where only the PAC chairperson is authorised to issue statements on PAC sessions.

“For reasons that I cannot explain, two of my fellow PAC members saw fit to make statements after the PAC session yesterday that were misleading and designed to prejudice the public on PAC proceedings,” said Liang in a statement today.

The Simpang Renggam MP added that the duo seemed more interested to politicise the proceedings rather than in finding out the actual truth of the subject of the PAC’s inquiry.

“As a member of the PAC committee, I am truly disappointed and upset with their behaviour.

“It is full of lies and misleading. I am confident that the full transcript of this session in the Hansard will confirm what I have said."

Although Liang did not mention names, it is obivous that his criticism was made against PKR parliamentarian William Leong and DAP MP Tony Pua.

The two yesterday had responded to the media after yesterday’s session ended.

Among others, Pua had said that Arul Kanda had evaded some of the questions posed to him.

On this, Liang denied that such was the case.

“Throughout the three-hour session yesterday and the previous five-hour session with Arul Kanda, there was only one question that he chose not to fully answer because that was related to an allegation in the media a day before on matters that relates to an external party.

“In my opinion, Arul Kanda is not in a position to comment on that particular question as it relates to a third party and it was from a speculative, unproven media article instead of the auditor-general report on 1MDB," he said.

Condemning the “ selective and partial release of information”, Liang said it did not give a true and fair picture of what transpired in yesterday’s proceedings.

“And unfortunately it seems that certain media organisations – especially certain online English and Chinese media – have bought into this hook, line and sinker,” he said.

“If this blatant disregard for the PAC rules and continued deliberate prejudicing of the PAC proceedings should occur again, I strongly urge the speaker of the House to take appropriate action on them (Pua and Leong) and we should even consider referring them to the Parliament's Rights and Privileges Committee,” Liang said. -Mkini