Dr M to name Noraini Ahmad as PAC chief
KUALA LUMPUR: Controversy over the position of the Public Accounts Committee (PAC) head is set to end today with Prime Minister Tun Dr Mahathir Mohamad naming Noraini Ahmad (Parit Sulong-BN) as a replacement to Ronald Kiandee (Beluran-PH).
The motion is listed as the ninth motion in the Dewan Rakyat Order Paper.
The 51-year-old Noraini is also Wanita Umno chief. She became a member of the PAC in August last year. She is also the Commonwealth Women Parliamentarians steering committee chairman which comes within the Commonwealth Parliamentary Association.
Controversy over the PAC chief position erupted when Kiandee who was a Umno lawmaker declared himself independents, along with a number of Umno lawmakers. He subsequently joined Bersatu, the party led by Dr Mahathir.
Pakatan Harapan pledged in its election manifesto to have an opposition led PAC as part of its parliamentary reform efforts.
The delay in naming the replacement to Kiandee led to Nurul Izzah Anwar (Permatang Pauh-PH) quitting PAC altogether. A number of deputy ministers too criticized the decision to delay the appointment of new PAC chief.
Noraini herself along with Ahmad Hamzah (Jasin-BN) and Takiyuddin Hassan also quit the committee pending the appointment of an opposition led PAC.
Dr Mahathir himself subsequently gave his assurance that a new PAC chairman would be appointed once a candidate was identified.
