Anwar: Parliamentary caucus for reform to meet with head of select committees next week

KUALA LUMPUR, July 9 — The parliamentary caucus for reform and governance will meet with the chairman of the six Parliament Select Committees (PSC) and the Public Accounts Committee (PAC) next week to discuss the challenges faced by the committees.

Its chairman Datuk Seri Anwar Ibrahim said the meeting was to empower the role that was promised to the committees under the Pakatan Harapan (PH) administration.

“We have received input from the select committee that they faced some difficulty calling in top government servants for briefing. Or that the Parliament’s powers are limited, unlike what was promised.

“Our first step is to call in all the chairman of the all the committees to discuss the problems they face and how to deal with it,” he told a press conference in parliament after chairing the caucus meeting here today.

The six existing select committees are for budget, major public appointment, rights and gender equality, defence and home affairs, consideration of Bills and federal-state relations.

Anwar’s response came following the appointment of Latheefa Koya as the new Malaysia Anti-Corruption Commission (MACC) chief last month, which was not reviewed by the PSC for major public appointments.

Latheefa was appointed by Prime Minister Tun Dr Mahathir Mohamad without prior consultation, and it came with a two-year contract effective June 1.