Gov't bid to keep secret 1MDB report must be challenged

MP SPEAKS The Public Accounts Committee (PAC) chairperson Hasan Arifin should move a motion in the name of PAC in Parliament which reconvenes on Monday to censure the executive for classification of auditor-general's final audit report on 1MDB under the Official Secrets Act (OSA) as a contempt of Parliament and breach of parliamentary privilege.

The reason which had been given for the classification of the auditor-general's final audit report on 1MDB is not only unacceptable, it has never been done before as far as the auditor-general's reports were concerned.

For instance, the auditor-general's interim report on 1MDB which was presented to PAC in July was never classified under the Official Secrets Act (OSA).

Why is it necessary to classify the auditor-general's final audit report on 1MDB under OSA, a contempt of Parliament which must be challenged by MPs at the first available opportunity, i.e. on Tuesday on March 8.

Surely, PAC is not barred from presenting the auditor-general's final audit report to Parliament or has the Auditor-General's final audit report have to be excluded in whatever PAC report on the 1MDB to be tabled in Parliament.

The auditor-general's final audit report is an classified official secrets with the department so long s it had not been presented to PAC, but once presented to the PAC, the OSA classification ceases to apply as the final audit report is now parliamentary property and any leak involved a breach of parliamentary privilege and it should no more come under the OSA.

I do not believe that auditor-general wants his final audit report on 1MDB to be classified under the OSA, just as he had not classified his earlier interim report on 1MDB under the OSA.

Let MPs and Malaysians be informed as to who in government who want the auditor-general's final audit report to be classified under the OSA, even after it has been presented to the PAC.

Is it the attorney-general, Mohd Apandi Ali or the Prime Minister Najib Razak, himself.

Let Najib come out forthright whether he agrees that the auditor-general's final audit report on the 1MDB should continue to be under OSA even after presentation to tne PAC?

Here we see the executive intruding and trespassing into the province and jurisdiction which should be exclusive preserves of Parliament.

This must be deplored by all MPs in the strongest possible terms, at the first available opportunity, which is why the first item of business of the March/April Parliament on Tuesday must be to censure such executive abuses of power interfering, intruding and trespassing into exclusive parliamentary jurisdictions.

The classification of the auditor-general's final audit report on the 1MDB to the PAC is also against all principles and precepts of accountability, transparency and good governance.

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Lim Kit Siang is MP for Gelang Patah and the DAP parliamentary leader. -Mkini