Media Statement
by Tony Pua, DAP National Publicity Secretary and Member of Parliament for Petaling
Jaya Utara in Kuala Lumpur on Monday, 8 July 2013
The Pakatan
Rakyat state government has made an offer for the Selangor Barisan Nasional
(BN) opposition leader to chair the powerful Public Accounts Committee (PAC) to
create a first world assembly, in the interest of check and balance,
transparency and accountability. The
unconditional offer has been rejected by the Selangor opposition leader, Datuk
Mohd Shamsuddin Lias.
I have written
to implore the Prime Minister, Datuk Seri Najib Razak to instruct Selangor BN
to accept the post to prove that he is serious about his transformation
programme to make Malaysia “the best democracy in the world” and his pledge to
ensure transparency and accountability.
I have made the
call on the Datuk Seri Najib Razak to do so, regardless of whether he will
offer the Parliament’s PAC chairmanship to Pakatan Rakyat, although he should
if he is serious about a first-world parliament.
However, the
new Minister in the Prime Minister’s department, Datuk Paul Low has been quick
to the draw to dismiss the idea as unnecessary and unimportant. He told the Malay Mail that because “Malaysia,
unlike other Commonwealth countries, may not have the political maturity to
have an opposition member chair its parliamentary Public Accounts Committee
(PAC).”
The Minister
seemingly without any political affiliation now claims that “such positions
could be abused for political mileage”.
He said that “it
depends on political maturity. To what extent can politicians give constructive
criticism? Overseas, the opposition joins constructive and bipartisan
discussions, so maybe they can do it there.”
Low said that in Malaysia the opposition would have to note that the
seat was meant to be used for constructive criticism and not just to condemn
the government.
Datuk Paul
Low’s negative response only proves that he has completely shedded his
impartial non-governmental organisation (NGO) skin and has fully embraced BN
partisanship. It appears that the former
Transparency International President for the Malaysian chapter is now be more
worried about the government being
condemned for its abuses and scandals, than about uncovering the wrongs of the
abuses and scandals.
Datuk Paul Low
is indeed correct to note that “overseas, the opposition joins constructive and
bipartisan discussions”. But that is
because in their parliaments, dozens of bipartisan select committees are set up
to discuss the drafting of laws in the country.
Here in Malaysia, the BN government will not set up of any such
committee to deny the involvement of opposition politicians in the law-making
process. BN treats the Parliament like a
rubber stamp where whatever amendments sought by the other side of the fence,
regardless of whether it is constructive or otherwise, gets rejected by the
tyranny of the majority.
The Selangor
Pakatan Rakyat Government, by Datuk Paul Low’s own definition, obviously has
greater political maturity compared to the BN Federal Government. The state government welcomes criticism,
positive or negative, constructive or political, from the BN opposition to
improve itself further. After all, if
the state government is completely transparent and accountable, the PAC
chairman will have no issue or basis to “condemn the government”.
Datuk Paul Low
further provided the flimsy excuse that “it was not imperative that an
opposition member chair the parliamentary PAC, which already consisted of those
from both sides of the political divide and with the chairman serving just as a
facilitator”.
His excuse not
only trivialises the position of the PAC chairman who gets the say to set the
agenda, the excuse doesn’t make any sense.
If indeed the chairman is just a facilitator, then why not give it to
the Opposition, why shouldn’t BN accept the role in Selangor?
Malaysians had
hoped that Datuk Paul Low will set new standards for transparency and
accountability in the new Najib Cabinet.
Instead, as shown in the previous issues on the set up of the
Independent Police Complaints and Misconduct Commission (IPCMC) and the
declaration of assets by Cabinet Ministers, not only will no new standards be
set, Datuk Paul Low has disappointingly become
the apologist for the BN administration to justifyt its opacity and
abuses.
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