Parliamentary Committee wants to meet and question Lateefa Koya, new MACC Chief - VERY GOOD.
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OPEN TO PUBLIC - it should be open to public, and televised live. It should not be a 'secret' meet or inquiry. Public inquiries by Parliamentary Committees is good and should be frequent to ensure good governance, and no abuses of power or 'corruption' or wrong doings.
This is the Parliamentary Select Committee on Public Appointments - hence it should be monitoring all public appointments be it in government or even government-owned or GLCs - Najib's trial reveals the failings of government appointed Directors and CEOs ...What about Mayors and Local Councillors... or maybe we should have MORE Parliamentary Committees (or Parliamentary Select Committees or Parliamentary Oversight Committees), made up of MPs not part of the Cabinet monitoring the executive?
In fact, this Parliamentary Committee should have monthly meetings (once in 3 months) meetings with the various persons appointed to high post like the IGP, MACC Chief, Immigration Chief..and also FELDA, SPAN, FELCRA, ...heads to require them to make their report ...as well as to ask them questions... REASON - To make sure that all is well.
Lack of monitoring by Parliament resulted in billions of ringgit being lost by various different Ministries, Agencies and GLCs... We need a more active Parliament that is on its toes monitoring all these..
Back to the Parliamentary Committee that will meet Lateefa. They want to..
- find out whether past political involvement will affect her independence > A rather lame question. Of course, when appointed to any public position, one will work independently despite one's previous political affiliation, religious/ethnicity - we should wait a few months, see what the new Chief does and if her actions show discrimination (like no leaders of her former party or PH getting investigated, etc..) - Then we can demand her answer?
- Her inexperience - how many of you MPs had previous experience before you became MPs or even Ministers? Do these people in that 'Parliamentary Committee' have past experience of conducting inquiries...or monitoring actions of political appointments? Again, this is rather lame...she would have accepted the appointment only if she believed that she can do the job. Again - if in a couple of months, there is a situation of repeated failures...then this Committee ought to summon the MACC Chief to explain..
What else? Will they be asking the new MACC Chief whether the report filed of possible corruption in the judiciary by that lawyer, who was subsequently found guilty of contempt of court' will be investigated. [Or the MACC will not investigate allegations of corruption involving the judiciary?]...what else?
TRANSPARENCY AND ACCOUNTABILITY
Now, according to Committee chairman William Leong, they are not even sure whether a report of the 'inquiry' will be submitted to Parliament - surely there must be a report, and it should be submitted to Parliament, or at least made public on the Parliamentary website..
It should really be open to the public and broadcasted live - dangerous because it may show the competence of the MPs that are in this Committee - Will they ask good questions of relevance? Would it raise substantive issues? Or would it be simply a 'waste of time'?
NEXT, this Committee should call in the Election Commission Chief...and ask him what actions have been taken with regard the many complaints of election offences since his appointment - that means after the Port Dickson by-elections.... If people are allowed to continuously breach election law - including spending more than permitted, using government machinery, government using 'bribes' and/or 'threats' to secure vote including special allocations/projects promised...
If this Parliamentary Committee is only interested in Lateefa Koya...then something is very very wrong...in my opinion?
This committee really should be more 'hardworking' and they really should publish monthly reports.... Now, if any 'public appointment' (which really means chosen by government not the people) is later found to have abused their powers, practiced kleptocracy, wasted peoples' money by 'bad' decisions,...then blame may lie in William Leon and committee... So they, this Parliamentary Select Committee better work hard....
There is a need to clarify who this Committee is supposed to monitor... MINISTERS? Ketua Pengarahs? FELDA CEO/Chairman/Directors, MAS Ceo/Chairman/..., Local Councillors and Mayor's? Sadly, in the Parliament website - there is no information. About this committee - not even any past reports...? No reports - so, can we assume that this committee did nothing for the past one year since PH became government...
A very important select committee with a very important mandate - but what has it done in the past year... Maybe Chairman and Committee should show cause why they should not be sacked by Parliament...
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Parliamentary panel seeks meeting with inexperienced MACC chief on ideas to fight graft
KUALA LUMPUR, June 14 — Concerned with her inexperience as a
graft buster and her background as a politician in PKR, the parliamentary
select committee on public appointments wants a meeting with Latheefa
Koya to find out how she plans to lead the Malaysian Anti-Corruption
Commission (MACC) forward.
Committee chairman William Leong said the meeting has been scheduled
for June 20 at 2.30pm, though the invitation is only now being prepared
to be sent to the new MACC head.
“We would like to offer her the forum to address three issues. The
first is the fact she has been an active politician, how is she going to
deal with that in her position as MACC chief?
“Second is also due to her lack of experience in investigation. And
thirdly, what is her vision and mission for MACC and on how to combat
corruption,” he told Malay Mail when contacted today.
Leong said the meeting will help the committee to table its report to the Dewan Rakyat.
“It depends on how the proceeding with Latheefa will go. If we have
enough time, we target it for this session, although it will be a short
session,” said Leong when asked when the report is expected to be
tabled.
The next Dewan Rakyat sitting will be from July 1 to 18.
Leong said the committee will take it one step at a time, should Latheefa not respond to the invitation.
Latheefa is a human rights activist and served as an elected member
of PKR’s central leadership council from 2003 to 2018, prior to her
appointment as the MACC head.
Her appointment by Prime Minister Tun Dr Mahathir Mohamad was
announced on the eve of Hari Raya Puasa on June 4, but took effect June
1. She tendered her resignation from PKR in an email on June 3.
She replaces Datuk Seri Mohd Shukri Abdull who said he wanted to shorten his service contract that was to end on May 17, 2020.
Latheefa’s appointment has drawn mixed responses, including from
within the ruling Pakatan Harapan with several ministers defending Dr
Mahathir’s decision, while others have questioned his move.
Critics said the appointment had gone against the coalition’s
election manifesto and the purpose of setting up parliamentary oversight
committees, which would vet major public appointments. - Malay Mail, 14/6/2019
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