Suaram welcomes the announcement of Prime Minister Abdullah Ahmad Badawi for his ministers and deputy minister to declare their assets publicly with the information made available to public. This is one of the human rights demands made by 54 civil society groups before the general election. The PM’s announcement is a step in the right direction in the fight against corruption.
We also commend the Penang state government, controlled by the Democratic Action Party (DAP), Parti Keadilan Rakyat (PKR) and the Parti Islam Se-Malaysia (PAS), for being the first among the state governments to announce such measure for transparency. We call on all other state governments, namely Selangor, Perak, Kelantan, Kedah, Terengganu, Pahang, Melaka, Negeri Sembilan, Johor, Sabah and Sarawak to also adopt similar measure within a month after taking office for transparency and accountability.
Suaram however expresses our utmost disappointment that Najib Razak - who was involved in the RM4.5 billion submarine deal scandal, which may have contributed to the gruesome murder of Mongolian woman Altantuya Shariibuu - is re-appointed as Deputy Prime Minister. We are also appalled that the former chief minister of Selangor, Muhamad Muhamad Taib - who was caught pants down carrying millions of dollars worth of cash without declaring to the Australian immigration department - is brought back as Rural and Regional Development Minister. These appointments do not correspond to the popular demand of the voters for a more democratic, transparent and accountable government as reflected in the recent general election.
Hence, in order for the Prime Minister to convince the public on the seriousness of his government in stamping out corruption, cronyism and nepotism, much more need to be done besides assets declaration.
Firstly, the Prime Minister must ensure that all state governments under the Barisan Nasional (BN) adopt similar measure of declaration of assets to the public. The declaration of assets to the public should be legislated.
Secondly, the Prime Minister must ensure an open tender system immediately for all procurements and contracts at both the federal and state government levels under the control of the BN. Sanctions should be imposed on those who breach the open tender system if the system is to be followed strictly by all.
Thirdly, the Official Secret Act (OSA) should be abolished and a Freedom of Information Act should be introduced. This would greatly enhance transparency in the government and enable the people to monitor their governments.
Fourthly, the Anti-Corruption Agency (ACA) should be made independent from the Prime Minister if it is to be effective. The ACA should report to and be accountable to the Parliament. Furthermore, the ACA should now explain to the public on the progress of the 18 high profile corruption cases that were mentioned by the Prime Minister in 2004.
Fifthly, the whistle blowers of corruption, cronyism and nepotism should be protected by a legislation of witness or whistle-blower protection legislation.
Only with these mechanisms of checks and balances in place would the general public be convinced that the BN election manifesto is not merely another round of empty promises.
Yap Swee Seng
Executive Director
The asset declaration move should not only be made public but come with an amnesty for those serving this term. Otherwise, there might be more resignations from the Federal Cabinet on various grounds. In future, there should be no amnesty granted.
Federal Cabinet Ministers also had to declare their assets during Mahathir’s time. However, such declarations were not made public. After some time, the practice lapsed.
Meanwhile, those who have so far declined to serve in the Federal Cabinet or resigned after being appointed should have their assets probed to ensure that everything is above board.
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