PAC meets as scheduled despite postponement of parliamentary meetings

PETALING JAYA: Parliament's Public Accounts Committee (PAC) has gone ahead with its planned meeting on Monday (Aug 2) despite notice of a two-week suspension of all parliamentary meetings owing to Covid-19 risks.

When contacted, PAC chairman Wong Kah Woh (pic) confirmed that the meeting began as scheduled with Health Ministry representatives in regard to vaccine procurement matters.

It was learned that the proceedings began at 10.30am at one of the meeting rooms in Parliament House.

On Sunday (Aug 1), Wong said the PAC was scheduled to call Health Minister Datuk Seri Dr Adham Baba and Health director-general Tan Sri Dr Noor Hisham Abdullah to brief the committee on vaccine procurement.

Wong had described the postponement of all select committee meetings in Parliament for two weeks as "ridiculous", saying that he would notify the Dewan secretariat to inform Dr Noor Hisham that their meeting would go ahead as planned.

The meeting comes in the wake of a notice by the Health Ministry recommending that all activities in Parliament House are to be postponed for a two-week period from July 29.

Dr Noor Hisham said the recommendation is based on a health risk assessment and to prevent transmission of Covid-19 in Parliament.

The PAC began its hearings on vaccine procurement on Jan 5 and has since called Dr Adham, Science, Technology and Innovation Minister Khairy Jamaluddin and several other ministry officials to brief the committee.

The Dewan Rakyat five-day special sitting, which began on July 26, was slated to hold its final meeting on Monday but this was postponed indefinitely due to the risk of Covid-19 transmission.

More to come