'PM can cut off funds to MPs refusing to declare assets'

AMANAH AGM | Amanah vice-president Mahfuz Omar has called on the parliament and Prime Minister Dr Mahathir Mohamad to act against lawmakers who refused to declare their assets.

Speaking to reporters at Amanah's National Congress in Shah Alam today, the Deputy Human Resource Minister said Mahathir has the power to withdraw development allocations for any MPs from the government or opposition.

"I don't think this will require any amendments because it is under the power of the prime minister," the Pokok Sena MP said.

Mahfuz said a refusal to declare their assets should be seen as a lack of integrity and therefore questions could be raised over management of the development allocations.

"Secondly, there are also many other perks given to them, which I don't think they deserve to receive.

"These perks include hospitalisation, vehicle import permits and others," said Mahfuz, who noted that the MPs could also be referred to the parliament's rights and privileges committee.

"That is up to the minister in charge of parliament and the Dewan Rakyat Speaker," he said, adding that the MPs should only be allowed to receive their basic allowance.

At a press conference after delivering his policy speech, Amanah president Mohamad Sabu (above) also cautioned the MPs who have refused to declare their assets.

"Of course it is PH's manifesto and we have since become the government. When we are the government, we table government policies, and all MPs and the people at large, are under the PH government.

"So if they don't want to declare, then they are violating a decision approved in parliament. That is not good. Why do they not want to it and why are they scared to declare their assets?

"This is something weird and the people will evaluate this," he said.

Mohamad said this in response to refusals of opposition MPs to abide by a Dec 5 deadline set by parliament to declare their assets.

At the Umno Annual General Assembly earlier today, PAS president Abdul Hadi Awang said his party's MPs were not obligated to declare their assets because this policy was part of Pakatan Harapan's election promises.

Similarly, Umno vice-president Ismail Sabri Yaakob said Umno MPs will declare their assets to the MACC only if they are compelled to do so by law.

According to Dewan Rakyat Speaker Mohamad Ariff Mohd Yusof, 160 MPs have complied with the motion, including three Umno MPs and 15 from Gabungan Parti Sarawak. - Mkini