A HUMAN rights group has urged the government to air the proceedings of Parliamentary Special Select Committee on Human Rights, Elections and Institutional Reform (PSSC) live.

Malaysians Against Death Penalty and Torture said this can start with the select committee’s coming investigation into Attorney-General Chambers’ decision to withdraw 47 charges against Deputy Prime Minister Ahmad Zahid Hamidi in the Yayasan Akalbudi case.

Its spokesman Charles Hector said the committee and MPs must not fear transparency.

“MPs and parliamentary committees must not fear this transparency, and it is important for the public to hear what transpires, especially what is said by the persons summoned to testify.

“The public wants to know and monitor their MPs who are involved, and how the representatives conduct themselves in such committee proceedings and decision making.

“They want to hear it all, not simply the final conclusions,” said Hector in a statement.

Previously, Sin Chew Daily reported that the proceedings involving Zahid’s discharge will not be aired live.

PSSC chairman William Leong said this was due to parliamentary standing orders, which prevented such a practice.

Hector said the government could easily amend the parliamentary standing orders to allow live telecast of hearings to ensure parliament and its various committees are more transparent.

“A mere report alone is insufficient as it will not comprehensively raise all the points, questions and answers made, or even the votes cast.

“We will only get the majority report, not the minority one. A report also will be hearsay and an interpretation of what transpired by the drafters of the report.

“What transpires in select committees is not an ‘official secret’, and since the committee is made up of MPs, elected by the people, there really is no justification for it being secret,” Hector said.

Hector added that the PSSC should also be calling former deputy public prosecutor Raja Rozela Raja Toran in its investigations.

He said Zahid’s issue before the committee was a matter of great public interest with implication of possible government interference or public prosecutor wrongdoing.

“It has been reported that the committee will be calling the current and immediate past attorney-generals/public prosecutors. This takes into account the public prosecutor does not actively prosecute in most criminal trials, whereby this is done by deputy public prosecutors.

“As such, the committee must also call Raja Rozela, the lead deputy public prosecutor, who mysteriously stepped down in August, and other DPPs in the prosecution team in Zahid’s corruption trial who successfully managed to prove a prima facie case to the satisfaction of the trial judge, who then called Zahid to enter his defence.”

Last month, Leong told the Dewan Rakyat the PSSC will summon the attorney-general and his predecessor to explain the decision to withdraw corruption charges against Zahid.

Leong also added that a full report would be tabled to the House. – October 2, 2023.