TI welcomes govt asset declarations but some deputy ministers missing

 

Transparency International-Malaysia (TI-M) said it welcomes the asset declarations from the government via a public portal hosted by the MACC.

However, it noted that several deputy ministers were missing from the declaration list.

“TI-M president Muhammad Mohan notes that the website which was reported as 'part of a move towards greater government transparency' only features the total income and net assets of 57 out of 70 members of the cabinet, with several key ministers and deputies missing from the declaration list.

“TI-M lauds the move of the MACC and the commitment from the ruling Perikatan Nasional (PN) government in increasing transparency and urges the government to continue down this path and extend the requirement across all MPs,” the organisation said in a statement today.

A check found a few deputy ministers were not on the declaration list, including Deputy Finance Minister Abdul Rahim Bakri and Deputy Tourism, Arts and Culture Minister Guan Dee Koh Hoi. 

Meanwhile, a number of ministers and deputies had declared their assets before the formation of the PN government, that is before March 2020.

They include:

1. Home Minister Hamzah Zainudin (assets declared on Nov 5, 2019)
2. Women, Family and Community Development Minister Rina Harun (assets declared on Sept 30, 2019)
3. Education Minister Mohd Radzi Md Jidin (assets declared on Nov 18, 2019)
4. Rural Development Minister Abdul Latiff Ahmad (assets declared on Oct 30, 2019)
5. Deputy Federal Territories Minister Edmund Santhara (assets declared on Nov 5, 2019)
6. Deputy Entrepreneur Development and Co-operatives Minister Mas Ermieyati Samsudin (assets declared Oct 30, 2019)
7. Deputy Health Minister II Aaron Ago Dagang (assets declared Sept 30, 2019)
8. Deputy Foreign Affairs Minister Kamarudin Jaffar (assets declared Oct 31, 2018)
9. Deputy Rural Development Minister II Henry Sum Agong (assets declared Dec 6, 2019)

The website displaying the asset declaration, however, does not break down the sources of income or the roles of these individuals in organisations outside of the government, TI-M said.

The asset declaration should disclose all sources of income, roles held by the MPs as well as a breakdown of their salaries and allowances, it added.

During the Pakatan Harapan administration, opposition MPs also had to declare their assets, TI-M noted, so they should have no qualms in continuing to be accountable to their electorate, regardless of which side they may be seated on in the Dewan Rakyat.

However, it said that as long as these asset declarations are only done voluntarily, they may “one day conveniently disappear according to the whims and fancies of those in power”.

“The best solution in this respect towards achieving greater transparency and eliminating corruption in public office would be the passing of a Parliamentary Asset Declaration Act that makes it compulsory for all elected representatives and senators to declare assets, income and other relevant financial information, in a public registry which is openly available and updated at regular intervals.

“All elected officials are accountable and answerable to their electorate. The rakyat is tired of being taken for a ride and inundated with scandals involving big businesses, taxpayer money and public officials,” TI-M said.

The MACC Asset Declaration Portal was first launched in November 2018 under the Harapan administration, and at the time, it included an absolute amount for each individual’s total monthly income and total assets declared.

The Harapan administration had also required its MPs to declare their assets, along with all its cabinet members and deputies.

However, the website was relaunched last year with changes made to the information displayed.

The website has maintained the individual’s total monthly income, but their total assets were stated as an amount range. - Mkini