Newly-minted Public Accounts Committee (PAC) chairperson Hasan Arifin clarified that the committee has no power to sack DAP lawmaker Tony Pua.

"PAC has no right to remove Pua ( photo )," he told reporters at the Parliament lobby today.

Previously, Hasan said the next PAC meeting would discuss Pua's fate with regard to his constant criticism and allegations concerning 1MDB.

However, the Rompin MP explained what he meant was that PAC would have a private discussion on the ethics and integrity of its members and the issues raised by the public over Pua.

Pressed further, Hassan said the committee has no agenda to remove the DAP leader.

"There is no agenda in PAC, maybe we will discuss (on ethics) privately," he said.

On a sarcastic note, he also thanked DAP veteran Lim Kit Siang for offering free advice on how to helm PAC.

Earlier today, Lim urged Hasan to focus on uncovering the truth about 1MDB instead of engaging in a pre-set agenda to remove Pua.

Pua himself claimed that BN has an agenda to have him dropped from the committee, which is probing 1MDB.

Will act professionally

Asked whether he can partner Pua, Hasan said he will act professionally.

He also claimed that the media reported his statement yesterday but his remark was twisted by Lim ( photo ).

But the next moment, he warned he would bar the media from covering his press conferences if they twisted his words.

"If you twist, I won't allow you to come to my press conference. I am very firm on this, please," he said.

Hasan said the select committee would appoint the PAC members this week.

Asked when PAC would call businessman Low Taek Jho, who is also known as Jho Low, and 1MDB president and group executive director Arul Kanda to testify at the hearing, he said: "I heard about Jho Low, but I don't know him."