Nazri: Nothing wrong doing govt work during elections

'I'm a federal minister, not a state assemblyman, not a candidate, I'm free to do what I want to do'.

KUCHING: Federal minister Nazri Aziz, defending announcements of government grants or projects during election campaigns, said today members of the Federal Government still had their jobs to do.

“After all, Sarawak is in Malaysia and I’m a Malaysian minister,” said Nazri, who is federal tourism and culture minister. “I’m not a state assemblymen and I’m not a candidate in this election,” he said today after opposition accusations that grant announcements amounted to an election bribe.

“I’ve got nothing to do with this election directly and I’m free to do whatever I want to do”, he said.

The Federal Government was still obliged to carry out its responsibilities regardless of next Saturday’s elections to the Sarawak state assembly. He denied that there was any form of misconduct or electoral offence for a minister to give grants or announce development projects ahead of polling.

“Because the Federal Government is still a government even if there is a state election,” he said. “So it’s not wrong for me or any federal minister to announce any projects for Sarawak.”

Nazri, who is an Umno supreme council member, spoke to reporters while on a walkabout in Pantai Damai constituency in support of the Barisan Nasional candidate.

He dismissed opposition claims of electoral bribery. “There is no rule in the Election Commission Act to stop the government from doing what is supposed to be done,” said Nazri, who was a former law minister. “There is still a caretaker government that’s responsible for providing facilities to the Rakyat.”

As a federal minister, he, too, was free to announce any form of grants in his ministerial capacity.

Pantai Damai is being contested by Barisan Nasional’s Abdul Rahman Junaidi of PBB, who seeks re-election for a third term and Zainal Abidin Yepni of PAS.