KUALA LUMPUR, Dec 20 – Two Public Accounts Committee (PAC) members have been criticised for issuing what have been described as misleading statements on the PAC session with a 1Malaysia Development Berhad (1MDB) official Friday. PAC member Datuk Liang Teck Meng said despite agreeing that the PAC chairman would be the only authorised person to issue statements on PAC sessions, the two – whom he did not name – ignored this understanding that was collectively agreed upon.
“For reasons that I cannot explain, two of my fellow PAC members saw fit to make statements after the PAC session Friday, that were misleading and designed to prejudice the public on PAC proceedings. It seems that these people are more interested to politicise the proceedings rather than finding out the actual truth of the subject of our inquiry,” said the Simpang Renggam member of parliament in a statement Saturday.
In the meantime, as a member of the PAC committee, Liang said he was disappointed and upset with their behaviour. For example, he said, it was not true that 1MDB president Arul Kanda, who attended Friday’s session was unable to answer questions put to him.
Liang said that the throughout the three-hour session Friday 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…on matters related to an external party.
Liang noted that the selective and partial release of information by those involved did not give a true and fair picture of what transpired in the proceedings Friday. He said in his opinion, such selective release of information seems designed to politicise the proceedings again, and again mislead the public and prejudice the proceedings.
Liang said that if the blatant disregard for PAC rules and continued deliberate prejudicing of PAC proceedings should occur again, appropriate action should be taken against the offending individuals and even consider referring them to the Parliament’s Rights and Privileges Committee.
