KUALA LUMPUR, June 12 — A live telecast of the Public Accounts Committee’s (PAC) hearings would be against a House rule meant to protect those who testify before the parliamentary committee, Speaker Tan Sri Pandikar Amin Mulia said.

He told the Barisan Nasional Backbenchers Club website that Standing Order 85 specifically states that no parliamentary committee, including the PAC, is allowed to publicise its discussions as long as its report on the said investigation has not been completed and submitted to Parliament.

“Furthermore, only the Parliamentary Select Committee has the right to the testimonies presented in the committee meeting,” he said.

He also said that the objective for the Standing Order is because the individuals called to provide their testimonies are not protected by the immunity privilege provided to MPs during the parliamentary proceedings.

On Sunday, DAP’s Tony Pua said the PAC hearing  should be made public to allow public scrutiny and media coverage of its proceedings to promote greater accountability.

Saying that three in four Commonwealth countries already permit the public to observe their PAC hearings, the Petaling Jaya Utara argued that there was no compelling reason to keep these private save for the pride of those being questioned.

Exceptions could be made if a topic involved national security, he said, noting that that was rarely the case.

Yesterday, Segambut MP Lim Lip Eng said the Speaker can suspend Standing Order 85, which does not allow any testimony and documents presented to any committee to be made public before the committee’s report is submitted to the Parliament.

Meanwhile, PAC chairman Datuk Nur Jazlan Mohamed had said that he has no objections to it but the decision lies in the Speaker’s hands to allow for specific proceedings to be made public, while the Cabinet will have to decide if it wants to allow PAC proceedings to be televised live permanently.