Former Public Accounts Committee (PAC) chairperson Nur Jazlan Mohamed said that in performing his former job well, he may have caused the rakyat to place high hopes on him.

The newly minted deputy home minister said he thus blames himself for the rakyat thinking that he had betrayed them by accepting a deputy minister's post and leaving the PAC.

"If I were to look back, maybe I had made a mistake as I gave hope to the rakyat," he said as quoted by Sinar Harian today.

He was responding a question that he had gone against his principles  and his promises to Johoreans by accepting the new post.

"Firstly, I love challenges. Secondly, maybe I was good in my duty which brought high hope to the people in thinking that there was still someone in Umno who wanted to do the right thing," he said.

"I will try my best to be excel in whatever position," he said.

The Pulai parliamentarian gave himself and his ex-PAC colleagues credit for managing to correct the system and uplifting the rakyat's hope in the committee whose existence had been generally forgotten by the public.

"We have put PAC on the right path, we have amended its system to facilitate those who replace us in the duty.

"What is important is the system, not the people. Even without us, PAC can still move on," he said.

"I realise that the people are angry but their anger need to be justified as we have played a good role in PAC,"  he said.

Consensus-based decisions

The July 29 cabinet reshuffle has caused a three-month standstill in PAC's probe into 1MDB as Nur Jazlan and the other three PAC members will have to be replaced following them joining the executive.

Their appointments were seen as an attempt to hinder the PAC  investigation into 1MDB. The PAC hearings will be continue soon after the replacements are made when Parliament commences sitting on Oct 19.

To a question if he expects the new PAC to return its focus on 1MDB , Nur Jazlan ( photo ) said, "They just need to follow as the works have been outlined."

He hopes the new PAC committee will come out with consensus-based decision on matters relating to 1MDB.

"The PAC report will be valuable and credible when the decisions are made together - in consensus," he said.

When asked if he would continue to be vocal, he said, the need was to respect his minister's directive but he would voice out to ensure correct decisions are made.

"The first priority in my duty as deputy minister is to be loyal to my minister. This will be easy as (I have cooperated with him) for a long time," he said.