Ismail Sabri attempts to cite Finance Minister to privileges committee
KUALA LUMPUR: Opposition Leader Datuk Seri Ismail Sabri Yaakob attempted to cite Finance Minister Lim Guan Eng to the Rights and Privileges Committee for allegedly misleading the Dewan Rakyat over the ‘missing’ RM19.1 billion.
“The PAC report on GST refunds (tabled in the Dewan Rakyat) today (showed) that there is no disappearance or robbery as claimed by the minister.
“With this, the Bagan MP has confused the Dewan Rakyat and the Opposition wants to use Standing Order 36(12) to refer the Bagan MP to the Rights and Privileges Committee,” Ismail said.
The Standing Order 36 (12) reads as the following: “Any member who imputes statements that mislead the House is deemed to be in contempt of the House and the member may be referred to the Committee of Privileges for the offence.”
Ismail made the move based on the findings of the Public Accounts Committee (PAC) that concluded that the funds were not missing but the transfer of the funds into a consolidated revenue account instead of the GST refund account violated the Goods and Services Tax Act 2014.
PAC chairman Datuk Noraini Ahmad said that the shortfall was due to a projection error.
In July last year, Finance Minister Lim Guan Eng alleged in Parliament that the Barisan Nasional administration “robbed” the country of an estimated RM19 billion meant for GST refunds.
This prompted Khairy Jamaluddin Abu Bakar (Rembau-BN) threatening to refer Lim to the rights and privileges committee if the PAC probe found otherwise.
Khairy Jamaluddin today urged the Dewan Rakyat to promise that a decision will be made in the current sitting, which ends Thursday.
“I hope you can give us assurance that the matter can be debated in the House in this session,” he urged.
Deputy Speaker Nga Kor Ming who earlier asked for Ismail’s reasons to be submitted in writing assured Khairy that a decision will be made in accordance to the law and Standing Orders.
In a related development, Pekan MP Datuk Seri Najib Razak bayed for Lim’s blood on the matter via Facebook.
“If Guan Eng escapes punishment after this outrageous lie, then the people will doubt all responses that any Pakatan minister provides in Parliament. We will see if the PH government practises the rule of law or the ‘rule of Guan Eng’.”
