KUALA LUMPUR, July 30 ― The Public Accounts Committee’s (PAC) vice-chair today invited Malaysians to judge for themselves should the watchdog’s investigation into 1Malaysia Development Bhd (1MDB) be forced to stop ahead of crucial hearings next week.

Dr Tan Seng Giaw, who is now acting PAC chair following Datuk Nur Jazlan Mohamed’s appointment as a deputy minister, also pressed Parliament Speaker Tan Sri Pandikar Amin Mulia to make an immediate ruling on PAC’s status so that it may continue with its probe on 1MDB.

“We shall try to go on with the proceedings; if there is any hindrance, let the public judge for themselves,” he told Malay Mail Online when contacted.

The DAP lawmaker said a ruling was needed to clear up matters after Deputy Speaker Datuk Seri Ronald Kiandee said that PAC could not proceed with its 1MDB probe until it consults Pandikar on its next move.

Kiandee said the appointment of Nur Jazlan and three other Barisan Nasional MPs meant the PAC’s composition no longer reflected that of Parliament, which he added was necessary under the existing Standing Orders.

“In the current Malaysian political whirlwind, the appointment of four PAC members as deputy ministers is unprecedented, resulting in various interpretations of the work of PAC. Sow the wind, reap the whirlwind,” Tan, who is Kepong MP, said.

“We hope that the Speaker will make a ruling on the position of PAC and the continuation of 1MDB investigation in the best interest of the public.”

Dr Tan stressed, however, that the next week's PAC proceedings will carry on even if Pandikar does not making a ruling on the matter.

He also disputed Kiandee’s remarks on the necessity for the PAC’s make-up to mirror Parliament’s.

“What sort of (PAC) composition do you need? Just a person with a sharp mind, that's all.

“The hearings can be conducted fairly and justly with the current PAC composition because no one is making a decision on anything, we are recording what witnesses have to say,” he explained.

The Star today reported Deputy Speaker Kiandee as saying that the current composition of the PAC no longer reflects the power balance in Parliament, as required under Standing Order 82(1).

In a separate report by New Straits Times, the deputy Speaker said the rule on quorum only applies in the case of absent members and not when seats are vacated.

“In this case, PAC will have to wait for the government to put up a motion committee for selection under Standing Order 77(2),” he told the English daily.

Following his appointment as deputy home minister on Tuesday, Nur Jazlan said that the PAC must suspend its probe on 1MDB until a new chairman is appointed by Parliament at its next meeting, scheduled for October.

Nur Jazlan is among four PAC members who were brought into the federal administration by Prime Minister Datuk Seri Najib Razak in a sudden Cabinet reshuffle, which saw the removal of Tan Sri Muhyiddin Yassin and several other critics of Putrajaya's handling of the 1MDB fiasco.

PAC vice chairman Dr Tan, however, argued that they still have nine out of 13 members still on the committee, which fulfills the quorum for it to proceed with its work.

Prior to the appointments, the PAC had scheduled August 4 and 5 to question 1MDB chief executive Arul Kanda Kandasamy and his predecessor, Datuk Shahrul Ibrahim Halmi, as part of their investigation into the state-owned firm’s dealings.

The committee also planned to recall 1MDB’s then-auditors Deloitte, KPMG and Ernst & Young along with several other 1MDB executives and directors of the company’s subsidiaries for further questioning in September to answer discrepancies raised by the Auditor-General’s interim report on the firm.