11 June 2019

Refusing to delegate power to the Parliamentary Select Committee, looks like the Institutional Reform is also “not in the Bible”?

Many Pakatan leaders have supported Prime Minister Tun Dr. Mahathir Mohamad’s decision to appoint PKR Legal Affairs Bureau ex-chief Latheefa Koya as the new MACC Chief Commissioner on grounds that the appointment was constitutionally correct; meanwhile de facto Law Minister Liew Vui Keong has expressed that there will be no amendment of laws to delegate power to any select committees in the upcoming parliamentary sitting.

The PH Buku Harapan Promise 14 pledged to “Reform the Malaysian Anti-Corruption Commission and strengthen anti-corruption efforts”, which includes: MACC to have its own powers and autonomy, including appointing their own officials; MACC will report directly to Parliament, rather than to the Prime Minister; appointment of Commissioners must be validated democratically by Parliament.

Without amendment to the existing laws, without delegating power, pray tell, how does PH plan to fulfil the promises in the manifesto? How will the Prime Minister’s power be restrained? Does PH intend to continue playing along the tone of “constitutionally correct” as the Prime Minister waltz in his own world?

With no power delegated to the Parliamentary Select Committee on Major Public Appointments, what is the point of its existence? Wouldn’t that make the PSC a mere ornament which adorns PH’s reform shambles? This clearly shows that, when PH established the PSC, they were merely forming a beautiful façade to lure people into thinking they were serious in institutional reforms. 

Since Tun Dr Mahathir’s appointment of Latheefa, as well as many other politically driven appointments, the election promise for institutional reforms has long been out of the question. Yet, as they openly reveal nary an intention to amend laws for delegation of power, we can now see these institutional reforms is just political deceit.

Nicole Wong Siaw Ting

MCA Youth Chairperson

-MCA online-