AN Opposition MP has called for the Parliamentary Special Select Committee (PSSC) on Agencies Under the Prime Minister’s Department to be dissolved upon its expiry on Nov 10, 2022, as the committee has “failed” in its role to scrutinise and hold the Government accountable on key public interest issues.
PSSC member Khoo Poay Tiong said it has been a frustrating experience for him to be part of a PSSC that “lacks the political will and leadership” to function effectively.
In a statement today, the Kota Melaka MP lamented that major public interest issues, such as the unresolved share ownership scandal linked to Malaysian Anti-Corruption Commission (MACC) chairman Tan Sri Azam Baki, remain beyond the reach of the PSSC’s scrutiny.
“It has been more than eight months since the PSSC summoned Azam to answer for his share ownership scandal,” he noted. “Yet, he continues to hold Parliament in contempt by refusing to appear before the committee.”
The PSSC has also faced numerous other procedural “roadblocks” that made it “toothless” in scrutinising Azam, the DAW lawmaker added.
Among others, the PSSC chairman Abdul Latiff Abdul Rahman unilaterally” cancelled a meeting of the committee in January after Azam wrote a letter explaining his refusal to attend.
Besides that, Parliament’s legal advisor took more than six months to issue its legal opinion to the members of the PSSC on the matter.
“Unsurprisingly, the Parliament legal advisor sang the same song as Azam, saying it would be sub judice for the PSSC to summon Azam and discuss his share ownership issue.”
As a result, Khoo said the issue has been left hanging without any solution in sight.
“Convened only 3 times this year so far”
The Melaka DAP deputy chairman added that the PSSC on Agencies Under the Prime Minister’s Department only convened three times so far this year, despite his proposal that the committee should meet at least once a month.
“Most of the committee meetings have been filled with standard briefings and presentations by Government agencies, while substantial issues such as the Azam scandal are ignored,” he said.
He also noted that while he has proposed to Abdul Latiff to summon the MACC to clear up the littoral combat ship (LCS) issue, the Kuala Krai MP has yet to provide any response.
“I write these reflections in hopes that the Dewan Rakyat will critically review and strengthen the PSSC system in the upcoming parliament session.
“It will be a waste of time and resources if PSSCs are re-established without proper authority and processes to carry out their role effectively,” he said.
Khoo also provided a list of suggestions to reform and strengthen the PSSCs, namely:
- Review and redefine the scope of the existing PSSCs. The scope of the PSSC on Agencies Under the Prime Minister’s Department, for instance, is too wide. It covers numerous agencies and issues. This hinders the PSSC from functioning effectively as it has no clear focus.
- Clearly spell out the role of the PSSCs’ chairpersons. The chairperson must not be given the authority to act or make decisions unilaterally without the collective agreement of the respective PSSC.
- Establish ground rules for the basic functioning of the PSSCs. For example, the Dewan Rakyat should establish ground rules on the frequency of meetings, attendance of its members, and reporting procedures.
- Make it compulsory to appear before PSSCs when summoned. Non-attendance would be treated as contempt towards Parliament.
- Empower PSSCs to define their own agenda. The PSSCs should be empowered, via its terms of reference, to set their own agenda and issues to scrutinise as long as they are within the general scope approved by the Dewan Rakyat. For example, the Dewan Rakyat could empower the PSSC on Education to scrutinise matters pertaining to the Education Ministry. It would then be up to the committee to decide what specific issues to discuss and who it would like to summon.
- Open PSSC proceedings to the public. The proceedings of the PSSCs’ meeting should be open for members of the public to attend (unless it involves sensitive information, such as those pertaining to national security). Notwithstanding this, PSSC proceedings should be broadcasted live on television and via the internet. – Sept 27, 2022
Main photo credit: Bernama
