MP moots one-off ‘get-out-of-jail-free’ card for asset declaration irregularities

PKR's Wong Chen says Malaysia has a long way to catch up with Singapore in the war against graft.

PKR’s Wong Chen urged the government to introduce unexplained wealth orders (UWO), similar to those enforced in the UK, adding that it would be a ‘real game changer’.

KUALA LUMPUR:

 A government backbencher has proposed a one-off clemency for any irregularities discovered when MPs declare their assets, in a bid to better combat corruption.

In debating the king’s speech, Wong Chen (PH-Subang), lamented that Malaysia had a long way to go to catch up with Singapore in the war against graft.

He pointed out that Malaysia ranked 61 out of 180 countries in 2022 with a corruption perception index (CPI) score of 47. In 2023, Malaysia scored 50 and was ranked 57th.

Singapore, on the other hand, ranked third globally with a score of 84, Wong said.

The CPI uses a scale of 0 (perceived as being highly corrupted) to 100 (perceived as being very clean).

Wong attributed the lack of progress in combating graft to systemic corruption that had not been addressed through comprehensive legal and policy reforms that promoted transparency and accountability.

“Declaring assets only to the prime minister is not a model of good governance,” he told the Dewan Rakyat.

Wong then called for elected representatives and senior civil servants, including immediate family members, to declare assets publicly, followed by detailed audits by the auditor-general.

“I am proposing a one-time full amnesty, a one-time get-out-of-jail-free card (for any irregularities) if asset declarations are done comprehensively.”

Wong also urged the government to introduce unexplained wealth orders (UWO), similar to those enforced in the UK, adding that it would be a “real game changer”.

However, he questioned whether Parliament had the political will to pass such reforms.

When opening Parliament’s 2026 session yesterday, the Yang di-Pertuan Agong Sultan Ibrahim said widespread corruption would hinder plans for the country to progress.

Wong went on to say that when it came to corruption in political parties, the solution lay in a Political Financing Act, adding that a bipartisan parliamentary group had completed a draft bill about two years ago with input from civil society and professional bodies.

He said that political donations must be capped, with the proposed annual caps of RM50,000 for individual donors, RM100,000 for company donors and RM500,000 for donations by large corporate groups to political parties.

“If everything is transparent and proper, there is less room for those with money or access to money to control the party.” - FMT