Media Statement
by Lim Kit Siang in Petaling Jaya on
Friday, 12th December 2008:
MACC Bill too watered down to the extent
that the principles of its independence from Prime Minister’s control
and accountability/responsibility to Parliament can be quite tenuous and
even fictitious
The Malaysian Anti-Corruption Commission (MACC)
Bill is so watered down that the principles of its independence from the
Prime Minister’s control and accountability/responsibility to Parliament
can be quite tenuous and even fictitious.
The original intention to amend the Constitution to give the Malaysian
Anti-Corruption Commission a constitutional status has been abandoned
while there is no clear-cut provision to establish its responsibility
and accountability to Parliament.
Five bodies will be set up under the MACC Bill to hold a close watch
over the Malaysian Anti-Corruption Commission to ensure its
independence, transparency and integrity, viz: Anti-Corruption Advisory
Board; Special Committee on Corruption; Operations Review Panel;
Corruption Prevention and Consultative Council; and a Complaints
Committee.
However, all these five scrutinizing bodies, including the Special
Committee on Corruption which is to comprise of Parliamentarians, are
all beholden to the Prime Minister or the Executive, making nonsense of
the principle of parliamentary responsibility of the MACC.
As proposed, the Special Committee on Corruption consists of seven
members of Parliament from both Dewan Rakyat and Senate to be appointed
by the Yang di Pertuan Agong, which means on the advice of the Prime
Minister.
Furthermore, the bill provides that the seven MPs shall be nominated by
the Leader of the House of Representatives, who again is the Prime
Minister , rendering the whole arrangement quite ludicrous – the Leader
of the House (who is the Prime Minister) advising the Prime Minister to
advise the Yang di Pertuan Agong on the appointments,
As the Special Committee on Corruption is to comprise MPs, why is the
Prime Minister shy in calling it the Parliamentary Committee on
Corruption?
Is this just to give the impression of some form of “parliamentary”
scrutiny without actually permitting robust and proper parliamentary
stewardship?”
If such a Parliamentary Committee on Corruption is to be meaningful, its
composition must reflect the parliamentary representation of the
different political parties in the House and its membership decided by
MPs themselves and not by the Executive. Furthermore, the Chairman of
the Parliamentary Committee on Corruption should be an Opposition MP.
I will propose amendments to the MACC Bill to strengthen the principle
of the MACC’s independence from Executive control and reinforce
accountability/responsibility to Parliament during the committee stage
of the debate on the MACC Bill.
*
Lim
Kit Siang, DAP
Parliamentary leader & MP for Ipoh Timor
http://dapmalaysia.org