The two Barisan Nasional representatives in the Select Committee on Competence, Accountability and Transparency (Selcat) are contemplating quitting their positions.

It was reported by mStar online on Sept 22 that Dusun Tua state assemblyperson Ismail Sani was considering the move because he felt that there was no need to be in the committee.

NONEPermatang state assemblyperson Sulaiman Abu Bakar when contacted today agreed with his BN colleague's sentiment, adding that he disagreed with the ongoing Selcat inquiry.

Selcat is currently questioning district officers over how BN state reps depleted RM500,000 in state allocations for their respective constituencies in two months before the March general elections last year.

Sulaiman said previously he had told the committee during a meeting that there was no need to probe this issue because it was not current and does not benefit the state and the people.

"Selcat should look at current issues, things that can be improved upon. If we are digging up about the past administration, there is nothing to gain.

"There are so many issues which Selcat can look into - the budget and the sale of sand - these issues can be improved upon. But our views (BN reps) are not really taken into consideration," said Sulaiman.

Two weeks to think over

Given the circumstances, he said he and Ismail would be stating their case soon during the Selangor BN meeting, expected to be called in two weeks time, before making an official stand.

"We will review our position in Selcat. If we cannot give our full commitment, we are likely to quit," he said.

On PAS state chief and Selangor exco member Dr Hasan Ali's recent outburst against Selcat, Sulaiman said the former was entitled to his opinions.

"Not that I'm supporting him nor am I being in contempt of the house, but his views are significant because they are coming from the state government," he said.

Hasan caused a furor when he suggested that Selcat continues its probe behind closed doors to avoid embarrassing the district officers during questioning and allegedly treating them like schoolchildren.

This attracted severe criticism from his PAS and Pakatan Rakyat colleagues, with some even calling Hasan to quit the government.

Following this, Selangor PAS secretary Mohd Khairuddin Othman issued a statement yesterday, stating the party's support for Hasan and its preparedness to "review" its position in Selangor Pakatan government.

MB to intervene

Meanwhile in a related development, Selangor Menteri Besar today announced that he will be chairing a meeting between Selcat, the state exco and the district officers to solve any arising problems.

He said in a statement that the state government believed that the issue involving the three parties can be resolved amicably.

NONE"I believe the issue is merely one of miscommunication between the above parties and therefore will be addressed internally.

"I will be chairing a meeting between the interested parties on Monday to allow everyone to raise concerns and clarifications on the matter," he said.

"I am also confident that all parties are professional enough to understand the scope of responsibility that each of them holds and that they are able to work as a team to ensure that the state operates efficiently and effectively," he added.