Hasan Arifin should let Dr. Tan Seng Giaw head PAC probe into 1MDB as he is too keen to demonstrate his “cari makan” characteristics

Datuk Hasan Arifin is too keen to demonstrate his “cari makan” characteristics to be a suitable Public Accounts Committee (PAC) Chairman heading the PAC probe into Prime Minister Datuk Seri Najib Razak’s 1MDB scandal.

He should make way for the Deputy PAC Chairman Dr. Tan Seng Giaw to head the PAC inquiry into the 1MDB scandal so that the PAC inquiry would not be sullied by his “cari makan” propensities.

Hasan exhibited such a “cari makan” propensity yesterday when he jumped the gun and declared that he was “satisfied” with the testimony given by the 1MDB CEO Arul Kanda Kandasamy to the PAC, although Arul had not completed his testimony nor did Hasan had the authority of the PAC to declare publicly that the PAC was satisfied with Arul’s testimony.

Hasan’s statement yesterday has only reinforced concern whether Hasan was elected PAC Chairman to get to the bottom of the 1MDB scandal or to ensure that the PAC probe into the 1MDB scandal would end up as a “cover up” or end inconclusively.

Pakatan Harapan Members of Parliament asked over 90 questions about Najib’s RM2.6 billion “donation” and 1MDB twin mega scandals, but despite six weeks of parliamentary meetings, Najib has succeeded in evading giving full and satisfactory accountability for both scandals.

Neither Najib nor his Ministers dared to contradict the last speech of Tan Sri Muhyiddin Yassin as Deputy Prime Minister on July 26 when Muhyiddin said that the RM42 billion 1MDB scandal had already mushroomed to debts exceeding RM50 billion.

The Minister in the Prime Minister’s Department, Datuk Azalina Othman Said, has said that the government would reply on the controversial RM2.6 billion “donation” that went into Najib’s personal bank accounts on the last day of the 25-day budget meeting tomorrow.

There were some 30 questions asked by MPs in the present meeting of Parliament relating directly to Najib’s RM2.6 billion “donation” scandal and over 90 questions relating to the twin mega scandals.

How are these questions to be answered satisfactorily in one go during Question Time tomorrow, when only two supplementary questions would be permitted.

Even more important, would Najib himself appear in Parliament tomorrow to give a full and satisfactory accounting of his twin mega scandals, which have brought such shame and humiliation to Malaysians – particularly in having the Malaysian Prime Minister to be investigated by seven foreign countries for corruption and other financial irregularities!

Will Najib be in Parliament to finally end the cat-and-mouse game over his twin mega scandals?

Lim Kit Siang DAP Parliamentary Leader & MP for Gelang Patah