Finance minister Daim Zainuddin should attend the parliament session next week to answer questions on financial irregularities raised in the Eighth Malaysia Plan (8MP) debate, said an opposition leader today.

DAP chairperson Lim Kit Siang said Daim should show that his two-month leave is not an evasion of ministerial responsibility and accountability.

"As Daim had not sought official leave of absence from Parliament, he should appear in Parliament next Wednesday to personally answer as Finance Minister to the numerous financial irregularities and scandals which Barisan Alternatif members of parliament (MPs) had raised in the 8MP debate," said Lim in a statement.

He added that it would be a parliamentary scandal if MPs did not know whether Daim was on leave from Parliament or not.

He said that Malaysians were concerned that Daim should not attempt to escape his responsibility and accountability for the numerous financial irregularities that had seriously affected investor confidence.

Lim pointed out, in particular, the misuse of public funds in government-linked agencies like the Employees Provident Fund, Pensions Trust Fund and Khazanah through bailouts and buyouts of troubled crony companies.

Prime Minister Dr Mahathir Mohamad said last week that Daim had taken two months' leave, sparking renewed speculation of a rift between the two and of Daim's possible resignation

Dain then clarified that he was on leave to clear his paperwork and urged people not to heed speculation about his political future. He said that he would not be attending cabinet or ruling party Umno's top leadership meetings but would still go into his office and attend parliament and other functions.

Legitimate fears

Meanwhile, on an unrelated matter, Lim said he was very concerned about the safety and treatment of the 10 reformasi activists detained under the Internal Security Act (ISA) since April 10.

"The detention of the first seven ISA detainees are coming to the end of their third week of arrest and they are still denied access to their family members. This raise legitimate fears about their safety and treatment in the hands of the police," said Lim.

"I can speak from personal experience that denying access to family members to ISA detainees during this period has nothing whatsoever to do with national security considerations but purely police methods to try to break a detainee, whether by psychological pressure, physical abuse or pure torture."

He said Deputy Premier and Home Affairs Minister Abdullah Ahmad Badawi must assert his authority to direct the police to immediately allow access of all the ISA detainees by their family members.

The 10 activists, comprising mainly of Keadilan leaders, have been detained in batches by the police beginning April 10.

After the detention of the fist seven, Inspector General of Police Norian Mai said that they were detained for being part of a "secret cell" within the reformasi movement that had planned to topple the government via militant means and mass street demonstrations.

The political party and family members have denied the allegations.