The reason given by the Public Accounts Committee (PAC) Chairman Datuk Hasan Arifin for postponing the PAC meeting today and tomorrow to receive the Auditor-General’s final audit report on 1MDB that “most PAC members are overseas” and that “Its important that all PAC members are present to hear the audit report on 1MDB” is neither credible nor acceptable.

In the first place, why must all PAC members be present to hear the Auditor-General’s final report on 1MDB, when all PAC members had been given adequate notice of the meetings and the final audit report would be available in printed form, as it would have to be tabled in Parliament together with the PAC’s report.

Secondly, why are “most PAC members overseas” when the PAC meetings today and tomorrow had been fixed a fortnight ago with their full knowledge and agreement.
Did anyone of the PAC members indicate that he will be overseas and not available for the PAC meetings today and tomorrow when the PAC fixed these two dates as the last PAC meeting on Feb. 11 – and who are they?

If not, why the amazing development of “most PAC members are overseas” – as if everyone among the Barisan Nasional PAC members are scurrying overseas on these two dates?

There are 14 members on the PAC, namely Chairman Datuk Hasan Arifin (Rompin), Deputy Chairman, Dr. Tan Seng Giaw (Kepong), Datuk Ahmad Hamzah (Jasin), Datuk Liang Teck Meng (Simpang Rengam), Datuk Abd Aziz bin Sheikh Fadzir (Kulim Bandar Baru), Datuk Wee Jeck Seng (Tanjong Piai), Datuk Koh Nai Kwong (Alor Gajah), Hasbi bin Habibollah (Limbang), Datuk Nawawi Ahmad (Langkawi), Datuk Dr. Marcus Mojigoh (Putatan), Tony Pua (Petaling Jaya Utara), William Leong Jee Keng (Selayang), Datuk Kamarul Baharin Abas (Telok Kemang) and Datuk Takiyuddin Hassan (Kota Bahru).

Lets have a headcount of the 14 members of PAC – who are overseas, why they are overseas, when they planned their overseas trip or they should be condemned at the bar of public opinion even if they not referred to the parliamentary Committee of Privileges for gross dereliction of duty.

In fact, all the absentee PAC members causing the cancellation of the PAC meetings today and tomorrow for the Auditor-General to present his final audit report on the 1MDB should be referred to the Committee of Privileges and they should be penalized unless they have good reason for going overseas after the finalization of the two PAC meetings.

Are “most PAC members are overseas” – i.e. at least eight of the 14 members are overseas, as stated by the PAC Chairman?

If so, let us have their names, and good reason why they are overseas. If not, Hasan has misled Parliament and the Malaysian public, and he should be referred to the Committee of Privileges for such a baseless and mischievous statement apart from raising the very pertinent question whether he is fit and proper to chair PAC!

Malaysians are entitled to know the identity of the eight PAC members who played truant and become parliamentary miscreants to sabotage the PAC from meeting today and tomorrow for the Auditor-General to present his final audit report on 1MDBC.

Who are these Infamous Eight?

What could be more important to these eight PAC members than the presentation of the Auditor-General’s final audit report on the 1MDB, when the postponement of the PAC meetings today and tomorrow have become international news?

Malaysians are entitled to know the parliamentary miscreants who are overseas today and tomorrow and the reasons why they are abroad when they should be at home to carry out their solemn and heavy PAC and parliamentary duties to get to the bottom of the RM55 billion 1MDB scandal.

Could it be that some PAC members are not in the country because they are in Mecca to perform the umrah?

Could performing the Umrah be a valid excuse to justify a gross dereliction of duty like being absent from the PAC meetings today and tomorrow for the Auditor-General to present his final audit report on 1MDB, especially if the Umrah programme was fixed after knowing the dates of the PAC meetings today and tomorrow?
Couldn’t these MPs perform the Umrah after the PAC meetings today and tomorrow?

Voters in constituencies of the parliamentary miscreants who sabotaged the holding of PAC meetings today and tomorrow for the Auditor-General to submit his final audit report on the 1MDB should demand that their defaulting MPs publicly apologise for their dereliction of duties and even resignation from Parliament.

In this connection, Hasan should state whether he is himself in the country or overseas!

I have just visited the Parliamentary website (i.e. Wednesday, Feb. 24 at 7.30 am) and it still carries the “Berita Terkini” on the PAC page with the following two items:

“Ketua Audit Negara akan membentangkan Laporan Akhir Pengauditan Terhadap Syarikat 1MDB pada 24 Februari dan 25 Februari 2016 ini, di hadapan Jawatankuasa Kira-Kira Wang Negara (PAC).

“PAC menjangkakan untuk membentangkan Laporan PAC berhubung Pengurusan Kawalan Urus Tadbir Syarikat 1MDB dalam sesi Dewan Rakyat yang bermula Mac ini.”

This is another example of the shambolic governance in Malaysia, where the right hand does not know what the left hand is doing, as the PAC Chairman is clearly following dictates not from the PAC but outside Parliament!

Hasan has said that the PAC meetings for the Auditor-General to submit his final audit report has been postponed to the first week of March i.e. before Sunday 6th March.

Would Hasan resign as PAC chairman if the PAC meetings are again postponed for one reason or another and are not held before March 6 for the Auditor-General to present his final audit report on 1MDB?