PAC freeze Nizar & Zambry's Pay

The Perak Public Accounts Committee (PAC) has decided to freeze the salaries of the former and current Mentri Besar Datuk Seri Mohammad Nizar Jamaluddin and Datuk Dr Zambry Abd Kadir with immediate effect.
State PAC chairman Wong Kah Woh said the salaries of both the duo’s team of exco members would also be frozen until further notice.
He said the committee has also ordered State Secretary Datuk Dr Abdul Rahman Hashim to remove Dr Zambry’s three advisers and information chief from their offices.
Wong said the decision was reached following a 45-minute deliberation with PAC members on Thursday, without the presence of Dr Zambry and Dr Abdul Rahman, who had failed to show up to give their explanations and statements.
Nizar and Dr Zambry’s salaries, which include the Mentri Besar’s allowances and perks, would be frozen indefinitely until the state’s political crisis is settled.
“This is to avoid double payment of salaries, allowances and perks to both parties until the legitimate Mentri Besar and his exco line-up have been established,” he told reporters at the State Secretariat building here yesterday.
On whether the salaries of Dr Zambry’s three advisers – Datuk Chang Ko Youn (Chinese affairs), Datuk S. Veerasingam (Indian affairs) and Kapt (Rtd) Datuk Mohd Najmuddin Elias Al-Hafiz (Islamic affairs) – and state information chief Datuk Hamdi Abu Bakar would also be frozen, Wong said: “The matter does not arise as they have not been paid yet.’’
He added that PAC had found some irregularities in the appointments of the four.
The necessity for their appointments are questionable and we feel that their tasks could have been given to the existing exco line-up, Wong said.
He added that if the four wanted to continue their services to the state, they could do so from different premises.
Asked if PAC had the authority to instruct government officers to adhere to its decision, Wong said: “By convention, the state government departments have to accept and implement the decision and abide by the findings of PAC.”
“For formality, we will also prepare a proper report to be deliberated and to be adopted in the State Assembly,” he said.
He also issued a warning to state government departments to be responsible.
“If they refuse to implement it now and the report later gets approved in the State Assembly, they will have to face the consequences,’’ he added.