DPM To Name Five BN MPs Of Parliamentary Committee Soon, Says Nazri

PUTRAJAYA - Deputy Prime Minister Muhyiddin Yassin will name the five Barisan Nasional (BN) MPs of the parliamentary select committee (PSC) on the electoral process soon, Minister in the Prime Minister's Department Nazri Aziz said on Wednesday.Muhyiddin would submit the list of names to the Parliamentary Rights and Privileges Committee chaired by Dewan Rakyat Speaker Pandikar Amin Mulia, he added.

"The three opposition MPs and the sole independent MP could also submit their names to Pandikar before I table the motion at the next sitting of the Dewan Rakyat, in October," told a news conference at the Legal Affairs Division in the Prime Minister's Department, here.

Last month, Prime Minister Najib Tun Razak announced that a PSC would be formed to look into ways to improve the country's electoral process.The committee is to be chaired by a cabinet minister.Nazri said he tabled a memorandum prepared by the Election Commission (EC) on the formation of the PSC at yesterday's meeting of the cabinet."The cabinet has agreed to the framework. If you look at the framework, it is very wide... to look into matters which will strengthen the EC to ensure free and fair elections.

"If you go on specifics, then we are limited to the specifics only. But here, anything to strengthen the EC and to ensure free and fair elections can be discussed... anything to improve the country's electoral process," he said.

Nazri said the cabinet also agreed that the PSC would have six months to deliberate on the framework.

"However, if needed, it (the period) can be extended," he said.Nazri said the cabinet also agreed that the matters discussed by the PSC could be implemented as soon as possible without having to wait for all the reports as long as it got the consensus without any amendment to the acts or constitution.Asked what would happen if the opposition boycotted the PSC, Nazri said the committee would go on regardless as the government wanted free and fair elections.

"It was the request from the opposition and NGOs to form the PSC. So, if they don't want to take part, then it is weird," he said.When asked if the PSC would be dissolved if the next general election was called early, before the full term of parliament, Nazri said "we are working on the premise that the lifespan of parliament will expire in April 2013 and, after that, another 60 days to call for the general election".

"I can't work on speculation," he said.

Source : Bernama