Rafizi to write to MPs, high-ranking civil servants to declare assets

Pandan MP Rafizi Ramli will write to all members of Parliament and high-ranking civil servants in a bid to pressure them to declare their assets.

This will be done after he himself declares his assets tomorrow. His last asset declaration was made in March last year.

“I will declare my assets, my wife’s as well as my son’s although my son's assets are his toys,” he joked.

As for the asset declarations of other MPs and civil servants, apart from the letter and a form for them to detail their assets and debts, they only needed to respond to whether they will declare their assets or otherwise.

“By mid-December and year-end we will know (whether they will declare their assets or not),” said Rafizi in a press conference in Kuala Lumpur today.

Kuantan lawmaker Fuziah Salleh, who was also at the press conference today, said she will also declare her assets.

“I don’t have savings, I don’t have assets,” she said, with Rafizi chiming in that it is easier for ‘poor’ lawmakers to declare their assets.

Meanwhile, the form will be given to all 222 MPs and some 50 civil servants. Other state assemblypersons who want to declare their assets are welcomed to do so, said Rafizi.

Although he believes that many will not even respond to the letter, Rafizi said another press conference will be held sometime in January on their response or lack thereof.

“Then it will be up to the voters to pressure them,” he added.

Rafizi, earlier during the press conference, had cited a survey conducted in early October, which was posted on his Facebook page on the topic of asset declaration.

From the 727 respondents, 60 percent had claimed to be opposition supporters while 40 percent were fence-sitters and Barisan Nasional supporters.

Based on the results of the survey, Rafizi said it was clear that voters wanted politicians and civil servants to declare their assets.

Citing one question which asked whether they agreed on whether one should not be allowed to contest in an election if he or she did not declare his or her asset, Rafizi said 99 percent of the respondents had agreed on this.

“Whether politicians like it or not, declaring assets is a plus point [...] Going forward in the next general election, it’s important to start a culture of declaring assets,” he stressed.

Asked whether he will bring the matter to the party to ensure that all members do so, Rafizi said this could be brought up as a motion during a particular party’s annual general meeting or congress.

“We will suggest this and we will see what are the views on this. But individuals can do so voluntarily without waiting for the party’s instructions,” he said.

The PKR vice-president is well-known for his insistence for politicians to declare their assets. He also believes that doing so will curb corruption instead of the existence of laws on political financing.

He recently urged Ampang PKR division Youth chief Adam Rosly to declare his assets for the latter to put an end to the controversy surrounding his bungalow and luxury cars.

In Rafizi’s last asset declaration, he had declared that he had RM1.56 million in net assets and RM395,937 in debts.- Mkini