Dr Wee: Pakatan has broken its PAC promise

KUALA LUMPUR: Pakatan Harapan has broken its promise to the people with regard to its election manifesto, says MCA president Datuk Seri Dr Wee Ka Siong.

The latest was with regard to the post of Parliament's Public Accounts Committee (PAC) chairman, which is being held by a Pakatan MP.

“For me, Pakatan has broken its own promise to ensure that the PAC chairmanship is to be held by the opposition.

“The ruling party now maintains the post when the Prime Minister allowed Datuk Seri Dr Ronald Kiandee to jumped party to join Parti Pribumi Bersatu Malaysia (Bersatu).

“This automatically showed clearly that Pakatan had broken its promise made in its election manifesto,” the Ayer Hitam MP said in Parliament lobby on Monday (March 25).

Dr Wee said that Pakatan had made a lot of “sweet promises” to the people during the last general election but now says its manifesto is not the “holy scripture”.

Meanwhile, Dewan Rakyat Deputy Speaker Nga Kor Ming said that it would be unfair to the public if the PAC chairman is replaced at the present moment.

He said this was because the PAC is near the completion of its probe into several high profile cases.

“For example, the PAC is probing the missing Good and Service Tax (GST) and income tax funds which amounts to about RM36bil.

“It would be unfair to the public if there is a disruption to these high profile cases,” he said when met at Parliament lobby.

On Saturday (March 23), Subang MP Wong Chen disclosed that PAC members had written to the Prime Minister, recording their dissent about Dr Kiandee remaining in the position.

The calls for Dr Kiandee to quit had also come from three deputy ministers: Steven Sim, Hannah Yeoh Chong Chieng Jen.

Permatang Pauh MP Nurul Izah Anwar also resigned from the PAC recently, believed to be in protest of the government's move to take over the PAC chair.

On Sunday (March 24), Prime Minister Tun Dr Mahathir Mohamad said Pakatan would keep to its promise and that Dr Kiandee would remain PAC chairman until a suitable candidate is found.

Dr Kiandee became the first opposition MP to hold the post when he was appointed to it in August last year while an Umno MP.

However, he along with a group of Sabah Umno lawmakers subsequently quit Umno and turned independent before joining Parti Pribumi Bersatu Malaysia on March 15.

Dr Mahathir had then said that there was no need to replace Dr Kiandee as PAC chairman.