The ability of the government to table the auditor-general’s 2015 report in Parliament raises the question why the one on 1MDB remains cloaked in secrecy.

“If the auditor-general’s reports uncovering billions of ringgit of abuses and wastages by government departments can be tabled in Parliament and made public, why can’t the auditor-general’s report on 1MDB be similarly tabled as well?” asked Petaling Jaya Utara MP Tony Pua.

He said Minister in the Prime Minister’s Department Azalina Othman and Raub MP Ariff Sabri’s reasons for keeping the report out of the House did not hold water.

Azalina had told Parliament the public accounts committee's (PAC) had already been tabled hence there was no need for the tabling of the audit report, while Ariff had said the latter was under the Official Secrets Act (OSA) to ensure there was no leakage of information throughout the PAC proceedings.

“The responses by the Minister in the Prime Minister’s Department demonstrate the entrenched culture of secrecy and opacity to cover up the shenanigans which are linked to the top political leadership of Umno and BN.

“Just because the PAC tables its own findings and conclusions on 1MDB, does not mean that the auditor-general’s report cannot be tabled as an appendix as well,” said Pua in a statement.

Pua said the audit report was a necessary compliment to the PAC report and necessitates its tabling as an appendix.

He said Raub MP’s explanation also indicates that the job of ensuring the report’s secrecy was over.

“The fact that the (PAC) proceedings have ended means that the auditor-general’s report should be immediately declassified.

It is no longer for the cabinet to maintain its OSA status,” he added.

Why secrecy on 1MDB?

The DAP parliamentarian also pointed out the auditor-general’s 2015 report had already been made public, even before any PAC probe into the reported issues.

“If these ‘departmental’ abuses can be tabled in Parliament prior to the PAC even conducting further investigations on the respective problematic projects, why is there a special need for secrecy for 1MDB, which is merely another Ministry of Finance subsidiary? Or is it?” he asked.

He questioned the reluctance of the government to release the report asking if it is because it is incriminating on certain parties.

“Hence the desperate attempts by the executive to ensure that the auditor-general’s report cannot even be tabled to Parliament and will never see the light of day?”

He said if Prime Minister Najib Razak feels there is nothing to hide in relation to 1MDB, “then he should immediately order the auditor-general’s report to be declassified immediately”.