Pua: Nazri, shouldn’t PM resign rather than me from PAC?
(FMT) – There is surely a major conflict of interest when the Prime Minister continues to wield direct influence of the investigation process on 1MDB.
If Tourism and Culture Minister Nazri Aziz’s argument is that one must “resign” to avoid a “conflict of interest”, then surely that person must be Najib Abdul Razak, the Prime Minister himself. The Prime Minister, who is also the Finance Minister, was directly implicated in the 1MDB scandal, said Petaling Jaya Utara MP Tony Pua. “Arul Kanda Kandasamy’s refusal to answer questions openly, truthfully and unconditionally to the public itself goes to prove that the 1MDB chief has plenty to hide.”
Where’s the alleged “conflict of interest” on his (Pua’s) part, asked the MP. “A conflict of interest will arise if I am a related party to 1MDB which is being investigated. I am not at all related in any way to Arul Kanda Kandasamy or to 1MDB, so how can there be a conflict of interest?”
Najib on the other hand, he added, personally signed off in writing all major transactions carried out by 1MDB. Under such circumstances, he pointed out that there was surely major conflict of interest when Najib continues to wield direct influence of the investigation process. Hence shouldn’t the Tourism and Culture Minister be asking for his Premier to resign or at the very least take a leave of absence to allow for independent investigations to be carried out?”
Pua was arguing that there were no laws or regulations preventing him as an MP from asking questions in the Public Accounts Committee (PAC) and asking the same questions outside the PAC. Does it mean that he cannot direct any questions to the responsible Ministers with regards to 1MDB as well?
Pua stressed that his role as a PAC Member had never been this challenged in his seven years in the Committee despite the many scandals which he had questioned both in and out of PAC. For example, he was a vocal critic who was proven right both in and out of the PAC for major controversies such as the RM12.5 billion Port Klang Free Zone (PKFZ), the RM4 billion KLIA2 project and the National Feedlot Corporation scandals. If the “conflict of interest” issue never arose then, what makes 1MDB so special that it arises now?
