'I am impressed that the Selcat committee is showing neither fear nor favour and is seen to be impartial when asking probing questions. This is an excellent sign that democracy in Selangor is maturing - long may it continue!'

Selcat fireworks: Teng switches off Ronnie

Giri: I am studying in Scotland and am reading about UK politics. This kind of incidents occur almost weekly among the ruling party, whereby a member of the ruling part keeps checks on fellow party members. I am so happy that politics in Malaysia has matured.

Not Confused: I am impressed that the Special Select Committee for Accountability, Competency and Transparency (Selcat) committee is showing neither fear nor favour and is seen to be impartial when asking probing questions. This is an excellent sign that democracy in Selangor is maturing - long may it continue!

In any mature democracy, there must always be these checks and balances. In the UK, there are select committees that oversee every government department and project and are renowned for being very probing. They are also televised so that the rakyat can actually see the process in action.

It's time that the federal and state legislatures are televised, too. Oh – sorry, I think a minister ruled that out some time ago on the grounds that Malaysia is quite not ready for it yet and would be 'confused'.

Md Imraz Bin Muhammed Ikhbal: Like in any court hearing or parliamentary sitting, there must be some form of order for Seclat to function as intended. Teng is the undisputed authority in this case by virtue of his function in the Selcat hearing. He gave Liu every ample opportunity to comply with his call to stop drinking and not interrupt him, but this was rudely ignored by Liu. That is unbecoming of the latter and he should definitely be reprimanded.

Liu's explanation to the Selcat committee is also unsatisfactory and I applaud Teng and Selcat for being objective in their treatment of those hauled up for questioning, be they in the BN camp or Pakatan Rakyat. We have all witnessed what we need to know. Kudos to Selcat! The trust emplaced upon them by the people of Selangor has once again been vindicated.

Cala: Time should be allowed for rules to set in. From the look of things, there is nothing really wrong with what Liu had done. He disbursed the allotted funds at a pace quicker than prescribed, if there is such a prescription at all.

The rules here are constraints used to manage the behavior of the actors and maybe termed as what are permissible and what are not; to whom and by whom; the recipient categories; qualifications; and, finally, the pace of disbursement, etc.

To my mind, the lesson one learns here is that transparency is the key for good governance. Without transparency, there will be no accountability. Selcat has done a good job.

On the matter of Liu's drinking of water against Teng's directives, I am 50-plus years old. A doctor friend once reminded me that at this age, to take water at close intervals, is a good practice for health reasons. As one's system tends to slow down at this age, to drink when thirsty is already late in terms of the body's needs.

Do allow several breaks in between for rest, to drinking water, etc. Selcat is not MACC; they need not use highhanded tactics and conduct the hearing as if it is an interrogation exercise.

Wira:

On the surface, the state assembly speaker Teng Chang Khim seemed to have an axe to grind with his DAP colleague Ronnie Liu. Focus on the issues and skip the polemics, please.

Selcat should function much like an internal audit team. The ultimate purpose is to report back to the state assembly of improprieties found in the Selangor administration with recommendations for corrections and improvements.

The head of Selcat is not a judge to rule what is the right and wrong way to run the state administration. That's an executive right that belongs to the Menteri Besar.

Joos:

While I applaud the intention of these hearings, I don't think the show of power by the Speaker in not allowing a fellow party leader to even drink water is unwarranted, childish and totally unnecessary flexing of muscle.

Genuine authority doesn't need this sort of intimidation to function properly.

D_Han: Teng and Liu have personal rivalry issues from way back and Teng is taking this opportunity to try and to take it out on Liu. But that is all Teng can do. He is powerless and sidelined in the DAP.

Rocky: Do not give face to Liu. All assembly persons should abide by the rules, whether they are BN or Pakatan Rakyat. We want transparency and accountability. Ronnie is ‘biadap’ (rude) for drinking even after he has been warned.

The state assembly should, on the other hand, prepare water if the session goes on for more than an hour. It’s only reasonable for one to need to drink water.

Kgen: Liu should show some respect for the Speaker. Selcat just wants him to explain his disbursement, so why should he be so hostile?

If he can account for his funds, just do it and finish off like the two PKR assembly persons.

Selcat should be commended for hauling up its own assemblymen. This sort of thing will never happen in BN unless the fellow had lost political favour.

Perakian:

Teng should have been an state exco rather than a speaker. He has by far more calibre than any of the other DAP reps in Selangor.