Select committee to meet next week, wants to clarify scope with PM
Parliament's Select Committee on Major Public Appointments will convene next week to discuss the contentious appointment of Latheefa Koya as the new MACC chief commissioner.
The select committee then plans to meet Prime Minister Dr Mahathir Mohamad to clarify the "scope" of its powers...
Parliament's Select Committee on Major Public Appointments will convene next week to discuss the contentious appointment of Latheefa Koya as the new MACC chief commissioner.
The select committee then plans to meet Prime Minister Dr Mahathir Mohamad to clarify the "scope" of its powers.
"Essentially, we are going to discuss, of course, what has happened with the MACC appointment.
"We will discuss what we are going to discuss with the prime minister," committee chairperson William Leong told Malaysiakini today.
Leong added he will send out a notice for the meeting to members of the select committee on Monday to hold a meeting as soon as possible.
Select committee member Tuan Ibrahim Tuan Man (photo), meanwhile, told Malaysiakini that although it has been given its terms of reference, there are some matters which remain unclear.
“We want to meet the prime minister to clarify our scope.
“There are (terms of reference), but it is still not clear because there are some constitutional provisions which should be amended,” he said.
For example, the Federal Constitution states that the prime minister has the power to advise the Yang di-Pertuan Agong on major appointments.
With this provision in place, Tuan Ibrahim said, it does not matter if the select committee makes any suggestions, because the final decision still rests with the prime minister.
This is a problem, he added, because the committee was meant to be a higher power to decide on major appointments.
"So, we have to clear things up with the prime minister. If we want to continue with this select committee, let it function," he said. "Otherwise, we might just as well dissolve it."
According to the terms of reference sighted by Malaysiakini, the select committee's function is to “examine the appointment of important positions in the country, such as appointments to Suhakam, the Election Commission, the MACC and the Judicial Appointments Commission based on the recommendation of the government.”
It further states that this is to ensure that the appointments are made based on merit.
Latheefa was announced as Mohd Shukri Abdull's replacement as MACC chief commissioner on June 4.
She also announced that she quit PKR as soon as she was informed of the appointment.
It was later revealed that Mahathir had unilaterally decided on making her the head of the agency.
This drew heavy criticism from various quarters, who questioned the process of Latheefa's appointment, as well as her links to PKR.
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