Media statement by Tony Pua Kiam Wee in Kuala Lumpur on Friday, 15^th July 2011:

The Health Minister proves to be a huge disappointment by attempting to abdicate his responsibility to a "special" committee

It has come as a huge disappointment that the Health Minister, Dato' Sri Liow Tiong Lai has decided to set up a "special" committee headed by the Ministry's Secretary-General Datuk Kamarul Zaman Mohd Isa to "investigate" into whether tear gas and water cannon was fired at the Tung Shin Hospital during the Bersih rally.

Instead of a quick admission and apology to settle the issue, Liow has chosen to prolong the agony for himself and all Malaysians despite the mountain of irrefutable evidence which has already been made available to him. The Health Minister himself, has admitted over Twitter nearly 3 days ago on 13th July 12.10am, where he claimed to have "seen and heard the videos and stories that some of you have posted on Facebook and Twitter".

It is also sickening that Liow is refusing to take responsibility for his press conference on Monday where he declared in no uncertain terms, that the police had not fired tear gas and water cannons into the Hospital compounds, incredulously blaming the "wind" for any tear gas felt instead. He had even argued that the police officers were only bringing in injured Bersih supporters for treatment without arresting anyone. However, he is now blaming the hospital board for allegedly giving him the wrong information.

Why was Liow so quick to publicly accept "positive" reports made by the police and certain individuals not present on the day despite the avalanche of allegations, but when faced with clear cut visual evidence, he is doing all he can to delay the inevitable admission of misdeeds by the police force?

Will this committee be like practically every other committee set up by the BN government where Ministers hope that the public will forget about it and the results never see the light of day? Where for example, is the reports by the special "high-powered" committees set up in September 2009 by the Cabinet to investigate and make recommendations for the PKFZ?

What demonstrates the lack of seriousness by the Health Minister on the issue was that the announcement of the committee was made without any details such as its composition, date of commencement and deadline for the report to be completed.

Hence to ensure that this special committee does not abscond from its responsibilities, I hereby announce that the MPs for Serdang and Bukit Bendera - Teo Nie Ching and Liew Chin Tong, the political secretary to Lim Guan Eng, Zairil Khir Johari and myself, who were present on site when the hospital compounds was assaulted will volunteer to provide eye-witness testimonies backed by video and pictures. We will patiently await for the call from the Ministry of Health for us to present our accounts.

As the Minister himself promised a "thorough and transparent" investigation, the committee must conduct its hearing in public, and not behind closed doors. Furthermore, given that the scope of the committee is straightforward - to determine whether the hospital compounds were encroached upon with tear gas, water cannons and police arrests - the investigations and its report must be completed within 3 weeks from today or 5th August 2011. Any date later than that will only prove that the Minister and the Government is trying to further cover up the issue.

* Tony Pua Kiam Wee, DAP National Publicity Secretary & MP for Petaling Jaya Utara