Only PSC has power to summon people, not me, says Azhar Harun
KUALA LUMPUR: Dewan Rakyat speaker Azhar Harun said only a parliamentary select committee (PSC), not himself, has the power to summon people to appear to provide their statements. He was responding to opposition MPs who asked him to state his opinion on the refusal of top graft buster Azam Baki…
KUALA LUMPUR: Dewan Rakyat speaker Azhar Harun said only a parliamentary select committee (PSC), not himself, has the power to summon people to appear to provide their statements.
He was responding to opposition MPs who asked him to state his opinion on the refusal of top graft buster Azam Baki to appear before the PSC on Agencies under the Prime Minister’s Department on Jan 19 to explain his alleged ownership of shares and warrants in two publicly listed companies in 2015 and 2016.
“The narrative that I am the most powerful in the world is not true. It is a lie,” he said.
“Only the PSC, not the speaker, has the power to summon any individuals to appear before it.”
Earlier, Khoo Poay Tiong (PH-Kota Melaka) said Azam refused to appear before the PSC on Jan 19, giving the reason that he was “only issued an invitation”, not a subpoena, to appear before the committee.
Khoo said according to the Parliamentary Standing Orders 83(2) and Article 17 and 18 of Houses of Parliament (Privileges and Powers) Act 1952, a select committee has the right to summon Azam to appear before it and provide his statement.
“So I would like to ask the speaker’s opinion on whether or not you agree with Azam’s reason behind his refusal to appear before the meeting arranged by the PSC (on Jan 19)?
“For your information, Mr Speaker, Azam had appeared before a PSC in December 2020 but has refused to appear before one now to explain himself on his share ownership issue.
“He is afraid of appearing before the committee. His act is in contempt of the Parliament. We must uphold the sanctity of the law and the Parliament,” he said.
Responding to Khoo’s question, Azhar said: “I disagree with Azam’s statement if that is what he said.”
He was interjected by Ramkarpal Singh (PH-Bukit Gelugor) who cited a standing order of the Public Accounts Committee (PAC) that a committee can only order, not invite, an individual to appear before it. This quashed Azam’s claim that he was only “invited” to appear before the committee, he added.
“If Azam was ordered to appear before the committee and he did not do so, then Parliament has become a toothless tiger.”
The DAP MP also questioned why Azam was given preferential treatment by the Dewan Rakyat and stressed the need for a firm speaker to address this matter.
He asked Azhar to summon Azam to appear before the select committee to show that he had full authority in this matter.
Azhar repeated that only the PSC, not himself, had the power to summon anyone.
He also explained that Azam did not refuse to appear before the PSC as he had written a letter to the chairman of the PSC, Abdul Latiff Abdul Rahman (PAS-Kuala Krai), where he raised some legal issues about the committee hearing.
Azhar said Azam claimed the meeting violated the provisions of the Standing Orders and that the subject of his share dealings was sub judice because he had already filed a defamation suit against a journalist. — Free Malaysia Today