PSSC to finalise proceedings on Zahid’s DNAA

PETALING JAYA: The Parliamentary Special Select Committee (PSSC) on human rights, elections and institutional reforms is set to finalise details over proceedings on the conditional acquittal granted to Deputy Prime Minister Datuk Seri Dr Ahmad Zahid Hamidi, said its chairman William Leong.

Leong said it is important for the select committee to decide on the list of questions and date of the proceedings.

“I hope to have it (the select committee meeting) in the first week of the Parliament meeting, so the entire committee can go through who we are going to call and what we want to be briefed on. We have to be fair; we cannot ask a person to come and ask anything under the sun,” he said when contacted.

Leong said it is important for the select committee to be prepared and concise in its task.

“Of course, we are in a hurry to get it done, but we have to be fair to the people we call, so they can come prepared,” said Leong, who is PKR’s Selayang MP.

The Dewan Rakyat will begin its third meeting of the year on Monday. Leong also stressed that a collective decision is imperative as the select committee is made up of MPs from both sides of the political divide.

“We are bipartisan. I cannot be the only one deciding which direction we want to go,” he said.

Last month, Leong said the select committee would invite sitting and immediate past attorney generals to explain the DNAA granted to Ahmad Zahid.

According to Leong, the invitation to appear before proceedings is to help the select committee better understand some concerns, such as conflicts of interest.

He also said groups such as Bersih and the Institute for Democracy and Economic Affairs will be invited to attend the proceedings.