Cabinet  tomorrow should direct Rafidah to present Ministerial statement on the AP scandal in Parliament on Thursday before the two-week break so that she is not seen or accused of using her kneecap replacement surgery to avoid parliamentary accountability

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Media Statement
by Lim Kit Siang  
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(Parliament, Tuesday): The Cabinet  tomorrow should direct the Minister for International Trade and Industry, Datuk Paduka Rafidah Aziz  to present a  Ministerial statement on the AP scandal in Parliament on Thursday before the two-week break so that she is not seen or accused of using her kneecap replacement surgery to avoid parliamentary accountability.

As Rafidah has said that she has “fully recovered” from the knee operation, her continued absence from Parliament when MPs and the 26 million Malaysians had been  waiting for a full, satisfactory and acceptable explanation of the AP scandal from her for the past five months will be the height of ministerial irresponsibility.

It is most shocking that Rafidah had to be directed by the Cabinet before  she would make her sole appearance in Parliament in the current meeting on October 4, 2005, but her question-and-answer session was a disappointment not only to Opposition MPs but also to the Barisan Nasional MPs.

The Cabinet tomorrow should direct Rafidah to make her second appearance in the current meeting before it adjourns on Thursday for two weeks for  the Deepavali and Hari Raya holidays to give proper answer to  the mountain of  questions swirling around her and the AP scandal.

Otherwise,  Rafidah’s recalcitrance in refusing to live up to her parliamentary duties and the Cabinet’s inability to ensure that she conducts herself with full ministerial responsibility to Parliament will become the talk of the country for all  Malaysians, regardless of race, religion or political affiliation during the Deepavali and Hari Raya holidays.

The Cabinet should direct the Health Minsiter, Datuk Dr. Chuo Soi Lek to ensure that there is proper wheelchair arrangement so that Rafidah can appear in Parliament without any discomfort or inconvenience.  Surely Rafidah cannot object to making an appearance in Parliament to give full accountability on the AP scandal as she herself claims that she has “fully recovered”, so long as there is proper wheelchair arrangement so as not to hurt her knee.

 
(25/10/2005)