Selcat Is Reborn, Says Noh

(Bernama) — Agriculture and Agro-based Industry Minister Datuk Seri Noh Omar today described the Selangor Select Committee on Competency, Accountability and Transparency (Selcat) as reborn when it is reportedly to resume its public hearing on sand mining irregularities on March 5.

He said Selcat had worked speedily when it was first established to investigate the misconduct of Barisan Nasional (BN) leaders, however, Selcat would only meet for two or three days for a public hearing involving the state government and sand mining.

“It stopped for more than a year since 2010 and they only decided to resume the public hearing after the issue was raised again by Raja Petra, the Selangor Umno and then officers of Kumpulan Semesta Sdn Bhd,” Noh said after presenting the 1Malaysia People’s Aid (BR1M) to 421 recipients, here Thursday.

If the issue were not raised, the public hearing on sand mining irregularities would be forgotten and Selcat would look like it was formed for political interests, he said.

Last Monday, Selcat chairman Datuk Teng Chang Khim was reported saying on Monday that the public hearing involving the state government subsidiary company, Kumpulan Semesta Sdn Bhd, would resume for three days starting March 5.

Noh also questioned a request from Selangor Menteri Besar’s political secretary, Faekah Hussin, for him to attend the Selcat public hearing.

“This matter has to be clear. There’s no point in me attending only to be a spectator,” he added.