KUALA LUMPUR, March 16 — Pakatan Harapan (PH) should stop rolling back on its electoral promises and let the Opposition Barisan Nasional (BN) head Parliament’s Public Accounts Committee (PAC), Datuk Seri Mohamed Khaled Nordin said today.
The Umno vice-president reminded the government that it had promised the position as part of its reforms efforts for better transparency and maintain check-and-balance in the governmental process.
“For this purpose, Datuk Seri Ronald Kiandee who was a Barisan Nasional representative then, was elected,” Mohamed Khaled said in a statement.
Beluran MP Kiandee recently left Sabah Umno to join the prime minister’s party, Parti Pribumi Bersatu Malaysia.
BN nominated Parit Sulong MP Datuk Dr Noraini Ahmad to be the next PAC chairman, but Tun Dr Mahathir Mohamad yesterday said there was no need for a change and kept Kiandee in the seat.
“Besides contradicting with PH’s commitment and manifesto promise, he had given inaccurate information by saying the issue was ‘not something that was institutionalised or part of a constitution’ and BN would need a majority support to replace the PAC chairman,” Mohamed Khaled said of Dr Mahathir.
The Umno leader also said that while the appointment of an Opposition member as PAC chairman was not embedded in the Federal Constitution as the PM pointed out, such good practices should be continued.
“It would be very disappointing, and even embarrassing, if PH decided to continue disregarding its manifesto and GE14 promises until practices to improve transparency were also politicised,” Mohamed Khaled added.
