After new ruling, Dr M gets loads of food including 'one-tonne dodol'

Prime Minister Dr Mahathir Mohamad said his home was filling up with food and flowers after the government made a ruling that ministers can only accept those items but not gifts worth more than RM500.

"I no longer get many gifts. When I was the prime minister the first time, I was gifted 26 cars which I returned and some I put at the Langkawi museum.

"What we can accept are food and flowers. Now there is a lot of food and flowers at my house.

"There are even people who delivered one tonne of dodol, fruits and I had to give them away," he told journalists after charing the Special Cabinet Committee on Anti-Corruption in Putrajaya.

The gift policy was introduced in June last year and applies to members of the administration ranging from ministers to political secretaries.

On a related matter, Mahathir said the National Centre for Governance, Integrity and Anti-Corruption (GIACC) that the National Anti-Corruption Plan (NACP), including the need to declare assets, be included as part of ministers' key performance index (KPI).

"All ministers, deputy ministers (must declare) and we will also extend it to MPs, even in the opposition," he said.

Mahathir said the opposition should also declare their assets as "payment" for transparency.

He added that the government was also considering extending the asset declaration to family members of ministers, deputy ministers and MPs.

However, he said this would require constitutional amendments and will be brought to the attention of the Dewan Rakyat speaker. - Mkini