Public Accounts Committee members held their meeting with the Health Ministry on vaccine procurement after having to talk their way through to Parliament House with the police.
PAC chairman Wong Kah Woh said members found it difficult to enter the building even after showing letters from the Parliament secretary that they had to attend the meeting.
He said police only gave them passage after the Parliament administration interceded on their behalf.
“On my way to Parliament House, I told the police about my duty there as PAC chairman and told them to let me through, but they refused,” he said in a statement today.
“The same thing happened to other PAC members even though we have letters signed by the Parliament secretary to show we had a need to be in Parliament. In fact, police threatened to arrest me if I refused to leave the roadblock in two minutes.”
The PAC was scheduled to meet Health Minister Dr Adham Baba and director-general of health Dr Noor Hisham Abdullah at 10.30am today.
It has been gathering feedback on the issue of vaccine procurement and today, the fourth in the series, was the turn of the ministry to provide its input.
Wong defied Noor Hisham, who had told Parliament to call off all select committee meetings for two weeks, owing to the Covid-19 outbreak in the building.
“When Parliament is not sitting, there will only be fewer than 30 people in the PAC room. I believe the health D-G knows and understands this fully well and in what manner he shall discharge his duty to the nation,” he said in a statement yesterday.
The Ipoh Timur MP said the police action was uncalled for and went against the motion passed at the start of every meeting, which required the inspector-general of police to provide safe passage for lawmakers to the Parliament.
He noted that the police action went against section 124 of the penal code, which covers activities detrimental to parliamentary democracy.
PAC chairman Wong Kah Woh said members found it difficult to enter the building even after showing letters from the Parliament secretary that they had to attend the meeting.
He said police only gave them passage after the Parliament administration interceded on their behalf.
“On my way to Parliament House, I told the police about my duty there as PAC chairman and told them to let me through, but they refused,” he said in a statement today.
“The same thing happened to other PAC members even though we have letters signed by the Parliament secretary to show we had a need to be in Parliament. In fact, police threatened to arrest me if I refused to leave the roadblock in two minutes.”
The PAC was scheduled to meet Health Minister Dr Adham Baba and director-general of health Dr Noor Hisham Abdullah at 10.30am today.
It has been gathering feedback on the issue of vaccine procurement and today, the fourth in the series, was the turn of the ministry to provide its input.
Wong defied Noor Hisham, who had told Parliament to call off all select committee meetings for two weeks, owing to the Covid-19 outbreak in the building.
“When Parliament is not sitting, there will only be fewer than 30 people in the PAC room. I believe the health D-G knows and understands this fully well and in what manner he shall discharge his duty to the nation,” he said in a statement yesterday.
The Ipoh Timur MP said the police action was uncalled for and went against the motion passed at the start of every meeting, which required the inspector-general of police to provide safe passage for lawmakers to the Parliament.
He noted that the police action went against section 124 of the penal code, which covers activities detrimental to parliamentary democracy.
“Our presence in Parliament was to attend the PAC meeting and the letter by the secretary is proof of this and should be clear to the police,” he said.
On today’s meeting, Wong said it went smoothly with Adham, Health Ministry secretary-general Mohd Shafiq Abdullah, Noor Hisham and National Pharmaceutical Regulatory Agency director Dr Roshayati Rusli giving their input to the PAC.
He said the PAC will discuss its findings and make recommendations to the government before tabling the findings in Parliament. – TMI
PAC chairman Wong Kah Woh said members found it difficult to enter the building even after showing letters from the Parliament secretary that they had to attend the meeting.
He said police only gave them passage after the Parliament administration interceded on their behalf.
“On my way to Parliament House, I told the police about my duty there as PAC chairman and told them to let me through, but they refused,” he said in a statement today.
“The same thing happened to other PAC members even though we have letters signed by the Parliament secretary to show we had a need to be in Parliament. In fact, police threatened to arrest me if I refused to leave the roadblock in two minutes.”
The PAC was scheduled to meet Health Minister Dr Adham Baba and director-general of health Dr Noor Hisham Abdullah at 10.30am today.
It has been gathering feedback on the issue of vaccine procurement and today, the fourth in the series, was the turn of the ministry to provide its input.
Wong defied Noor Hisham, who had told Parliament to call off all select committee meetings for two weeks, owing to the Covid-19 outbreak in the building.
“When Parliament is not sitting, there will only be fewer than 30 people in the PAC room. I believe the health D-G knows and understands this fully well and in what manner he shall discharge his duty to the nation,” he said in a statement yesterday.
The Ipoh Timur MP said the police action was uncalled for and went against the motion passed at the start of every meeting, which required the inspector-general of police to provide safe passage for lawmakers to the Parliament.
He noted that the police action went against section 124 of the penal code, which covers activities detrimental to parliamentary democracy.
“Our presence in Parliament was to attend the PAC meeting and the letter by the secretary is proof of this and should be clear to the police,” he said.
On today’s meeting, Wong said it went smoothly with Adham, Health Ministry secretary-general Mohd Shafiq Abdullah, Noor Hisham and National Pharmaceutical Regulatory Agency director Dr Roshayati Rusli giving their input to the PAC.
He said the PAC will discuss its findings and make recommendations to the government before tabling the findings in Parliament. – TMI
“Our presence in Parliament was to attend the PAC meeting and the letter by the secretary is proof of this and should be clear to the police,” he said.
On today’s meeting, Wong said it went smoothly with Adham, Health Ministry secretary-general Mohd Shafiq Abdullah, Noor Hisham and National Pharmaceutical Regulatory Agency director Dr Roshayati Rusli giving their input to the PAC.
He said the PAC will discuss its findings and make recommendations to the government before tabling the findings in Parliament. – TMI