by Eileen Ng
The Malaysian Insider
April 01, 2014

Pakatan Rakyat MPs are seething at Datuk Seri Hishammuddin Hussein’s decision to attend the Asean Defence Ministers meeting in Hawaii, instead of briefing them tonight on the missing Malaysian Airlines flight MH370.

Describing it as the “height of irresponsibility and an utter contempt of parliament”, DAP parliamentary leader Lim Kit Siang said they wanted Hishammuddin to brief them, and not his officers.

“This is proof that the Barisan Nasional government is not serious, especially on the roles that MPs can play on this matter,” Lim said in a press conference at the Parliament lobby today.

However, it is not known whether the briefing will go on today or it has been cancelled or postponed.

Hishammuddin, who is Defence Minister and acting Transport Minister, announced yesterday that he will be at the meeting in Hawaii from today until April 3 where United States Defense Secretary Chuck Hagel is also expected to attend.

Hishammuddin said he would be discussing the possibility of deploying more specific military assets to assist in the search and rescue operation of the jetliner, which went missing on March 8 en route from Kuala Lumpur to Beijing.

Last week, minister in the prime minister’s department Datuk Seri Shahidan Kassim announced in Chambers that a briefing on the jetliner would be held for opposition MPs, after they kicked up a storm upon finding out a similar briefing was held for BN MPs two weeks ago. – April 1, 2014.

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