No excuse to stop PAC meetings, says chief

 

There is no excuse to prevent the Public Accounts Committee (PAC) from immediately holding a meeting and carrying out its functions even as Parliament continues to remain closed, according to its chairperson Wong Kah Woh.

With a special committee to look into convening a hybrid Parliament set to meet on July 5, Wong reminded that the PAC and other parliamentary select committees (PSC) have not met since Jan 12 at the start of the emergency.

"Meetings and PAC proceedings, as well as PSC meetings, can be carried out as normal through physical presence under strict health procedures while waiting for a hybrid Parliament.

"Too much time has been wasted in the past six months," said the Ipoh Timur MP.

Wong said the PAC must resume its functions to look into cases which have been opened, initiate new probes based on the latest Auditor-General's report, as well as reviewing government's Covid-19 related expenses.

He said there were also enough facilities in place to accommodate physical meetings, as well as existing procedures including mandatory swab test for any witnesses summoned before the PAC.

He also cited the joint statement by Dewan Rakyat Speaker Azhar Azizan Harun and Dewan Negara Speaker Rais Yatim on a readiness to reconvene Parliament, but present circumstances required steps to look into technological aspects of a hybrid Parliament by late August or early September.

"So it is clear, from a legal perspective, there is nothing to restrict parliamentary proceedings at any time, including before the end of emergency on Aug 1," he said.

It was reported yesterday that the Yang di-Pertuan Agong has requested an audience with both Azhar and Rais on June 29.

These meetings with the chiefs of both legislative houses come after the Perikatan Nasional government responded less than enthusiastically to the king’s call for Parliament to reconvene "as soon as possible". - Mkini