Minister in the Prime Minister’s Department, Datuk Seri Shahidan Kassim told Malaysiakini that he would answer former Prime Minister Tun Mahathir’s criticisms about the Prime Minister, Datuk Seri Najib Razak, especially with regard to the RM42 billion 1MDB scandal and Najib’s family wealth in Parliament tomorrow.

Najib should come to Parliament himself to answer personally criticisms by Tun Mahathir and others and not through a proxy or underling, even though a Minister in the Prime Minister’s Department.

I do not believe previous Prime Ministers in Malaysia, or Prime Ministers and heads of government in other countries, need to depend on their underlings to answer criticisms directed at them.

Why is the Prime Minister not prepared to face Members of Parliament to answer the mountain of criticisms against him, from both inside UMNO and outside?

Najib should give advance notice of his appearance in Parliament to answer personally criticisms against him so that all MPs who are interested in the subject could be present in the House.

In fact, I would suggest the suspension of Dewan Rakyat Standing Orders on Question Time to allow the Prime Minister an extra one full hour to answer all criticisms as well as supplementary questions that MPs would want to pursue on the subject.

In the past two days, the PKR Secretary-General and MP for Pandan had been pressing for answers about the new private jet, Airbus ACJ 320, costing RM465 million, commissioned by the government for the use of the Prime Minister.

If Najib comes to Parliament to answer all criticisms made against him as Prime Minister, whether by Mahathir or others, this will also be an excellent and most appropriate occasion for him to inform the nation whether the Federal Government has commissioned a new RM465 million Airbus 320 for his own use, over and above a fleet of private jets owned and operated by Putrajaya.