Bersih welcomes 10 new PSSCs but voices concern over composition

 

Bersih has welcomed the newly established 10 new parliamentary special select committees (PSSCs) but voiced concerns over the composition of these committees.

According to the electoral reform group, the nine MPs installed in the committees, including the chairpersons, are not sufficient to involve all government backbenchers and opposition MPs.

"If the Parliament wants to maintain this, as many as 67 MPs will not be in any committee, thus undermining their role as national policymakers at the PSSC and Public Accounts Committee levels (excluding the other four Parliamentary Select Committees that look after the internal affairs of the Dewan Rakyat).

"If these 10 PSSCs are to be maintained, it would be better to increase the composition of each committee to a maximum of 16 MPs. Alternatively, Parliament can establish more PSSCs by breaking some up to reduce the ministries to be monitored by each PSSC and create more focused PSSCs," Bersih's steering committee said in a statement today.

Bersih further urged Prime Minister Anwar Ibrahim to explain why only 10 PSSCs were established, and why the compositions were not maximised to allow the participation of all elected lawmakers.

Composition of PSSCs must be balanced

"Bersih also hopes that the chairpersons and committee members can be announced soon and we suggest that, as far as possible, opposition MPs be appointed as the chairpersons.

"The composition of the PSSCs also needs to be balanced and reflect the composition of Members of Parliament in the Dewan Rakyat."

It was earlier reported that the PSSCs, announced by Minister in the Prime Minister’s Department (Law and Institutional Reform) Azalina Othman Said yesterday, will have a stronger oversight mechanism.

The 10 new PSSCs are:  

1. Finance and economy;

2. Health;

3. Domestic trade, entrepreneurship, cost of living and agriculture;

4. Infrastructure, transport and communications;

5. Nation-building, ethnicity, education and human resources development;

6. Women, family and community development;

7. Environment, science and plantations;

8. Security;

9. International relations and international trade; and

10. Human rights, elections and institutional reforms.

The chairpersons and members of the PSSCs are yet to be revealed. - Mkini