Cabinet members should declare assets, says Penang CM
Arifin (left) announced the asset declaration requirement for senior members of the judiciary yesterday. — File pic GEORGE TOWN, Jan 16 — Lim Guan Eng exhorted the Najib administration today to emulate the judiciary by ordering all Cabinet ministers to publicly declare their assets.
While expressing support for the move announced by Chief Justice Tan Sri Arifin Zakaria yesterday, the Penang chief minister said the declaration of assets was merely the “first step” in ensuring integrity in the administration.
“I’d like to state that as the CM and the secretary-general of DAP, this is a step in the right direction. We hope the federal government will approve of it and do the same, particularly for all its ministers.
“This is the first step in shoring up public confidence in the integrity (of these institutions of government),” he told a press conference today.
Lim, along with his state executive councillors, had similarly gone public with their assets last week.
When announcing the proposal yesterday, Arifin said all judges of higher courts, including the Federal Court, Court of Appeal, High Courts and Judicial Commissioners, would be required to declare their assets soon. The Malaysian Anti-Corruption Commission, he added, would also be called in to check on the information.
Today, Lim pointed out that asset declarations were one of the six key “integrity measures” he had introduced in his administration of Penang, in line with its CAT (Competency, Accountability, Transparency) principles.
He told the Najib administration that, apart from the declaration of assets, the government needed to practise an open tender system when awarding contracts, enact freedom of information laws, and pledge not to mix business with politics.
“Business and politics must be separate. We see many parties involved in businesses... MCA can even give its members aged above 60 years RM100 each... is it a political party or a business enterprise?” he asked.
