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Show more respect for House traditions, DAP tells PM
Published:  Nov 6, 2015 10:23 AM
Updated: 7:35 AM

DAP leader Lim Kit Siang said Prime Minister Najib Abdul Razak needs to show more respect for parliamentary traditions, procedures and practices, unlike Minister in the Prime Minister's Department Azalina Othman Said.

As such, Najib should show up at Parliament on Nov 16, the last day of the three-day ministerial winding-up of the Budget 2016 debate, to answer questions raised, he said.

"I call on Najib to show greater respect for parliamentary traditions, conventions, procedures and practices than (Azalina), and not to condone Azalina's unparliamentary schedule.

"Be in Parliament to answer MPs' speeches on 1MDB and the RM2.6 billion 'donation' twin mega scandals on Nov 16," Lim ( photo ) said in his speech in Penang last night.

The doctrine of separation of powers and the parliamentary control of the executive means that even the prime minister must comply with parliamentary traditions, conventions, procedures and practices, he said.

However, he pointed out that Azalina had set the stage for Najib to 'play truant' from Parliament on Nov 16, as she had said that the government would reply on the RM2.6 billion donation on Dec 3.

She could not yet say whether Najib or another minister would be answering these questions, Lim said.

"This is the height of contempt of Parliament; treating Parliament like a classroom of recalcitrant students, with the speaker given the role of a mere school principal but the prime minister like the education supervisor whose word and action is law," he said.

"Najib should explain what he has to hide that he dares not come to Parliament to give a full accountability on the 1MDB and RM2.6 billion 'donation' twin mega scandals," he added.

Perverted sense of priority

Meanwhile, the new Public Accounts Committee (PAC) chairperson Hasan Arifin does not seem to be prioritising the probe into 1MDB, Lim said.

Instead, Hasan only seems to be concerned about silencing DAP's Petaling Jaya Utara MP Tony Pua, a PAC member, on 1MDB issues, he said.

"This is a most perverted and inverted sense of urgency and priority by the new PAC chairperson, which may be why Najib wants Hasan to be the new chairperson," Lim said.

At this rate, he asked if Hasan ( photo ) would be able to assure that the PAC can table a report on its 1MDB probe to Parliament before it adjourns on Dec 3.

He pointed out that 1MDB boss Arul Kanda Kandasamy will appear before PAC on Dec 1, while former 1MDB chief executive officer Shahrol Hakimi will be summoned on Nov 25.

"Hasan should explain why he is taking his own sweet time to continue PAC investigations into the 1MDB.

"Why can't Arul Kanda and Shahrol be summoned earlier... especially as both of them were supposed to testity before the PAC on Aug 4 and 5 before the PAC probe was derailed for three months?" he asked.

He also said he could not understand why Hasan was being so 'soft' on tycoon Jho Low, who had been linked to 1MDB investigations.

Hasan had claimed yesterday that the PAC cannot summmon Low yet because of a legal snag.

"What is this legal snag that Hasan is talking about that's obstructing the PAC from summoning Low to testify before PAC?" he asked.

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