OCT TOO LATE, SEPT ALSO TOO LATE: Shahrir calls for special one-day sitting next month to appoint new PAC chairman

JOHOR BARU - Voters will decide whether to give Umno and Barisan Nasional the mandate to continue ruling the country only in the next general election.

Barisan Nasional Back Benchers chairman (BNBBC) Tan Sri Shahrir Abdul Samad said on Saturday that although certain parties had predicted Barisan would lose, only ballot would decide this.

He pointed out that while past general elections had witnessed the integrity of the ruling coalition marred by certain issues, the majority of voters still picked Barisan.

Shahrir singled out major issues such as the Port Klang Free Zone, the National Feedlot Corporation and ECM Libra, which he said could have lessened the confidence and trust in Barisan.

"It is more of a perception that Umno and Barisan were the wrongdoers although the outcome of the probes involving the cases were made by the judiciary," he said.

Shahrir, who is also the Johor Baru MP, said this before opening the Johor Baru Umno Youth meeting at Bandar Baru Uda here on Saturday.

He said although Barisan had survived the 12th and 13th general elections despite the negative news, the coalition should not rest on its laurels to face the next general election.

"We have to work extra hard and put in more effort to rectify and explain the current situation surrounding Umno or risk loosing support," said Shahrir.

Tan Sri Shahrir Abdul Samad

He said the Opposition would certainly play up the 1Malaysia Development Bhd (1MDB) issue and the RM2.6bil political donation deposited into Prime Minister Datuk Seri Najib Tun Razak's personal bank accounts.

Shahrir said although probes on the two cases were still on going by the bodies tasked to investigate the issues, a majority of Malaysians already made their judgement that the individuals involved in the cases were guilty.

"That is why I had suggested for the Government to speed up the appointment of the new Public Accounts Committee (PAC) chairman as soon as possible.

"There should be a special one-day sitting next month to appoint the chairman.

"If we wait until October for Parliament to appoint the new PAC chairman, it might send the wrong signal that the Government is delaying the 1MDB probe, " he said. - ANN