MACC mulls asset declarations for Cabinet members’ kin
Najib is said to have given his nod for the proposed move. — File picKUALA LUMPUR, Jan 18 — Spouses and family members of Cabinet ministers may soon be required to declare their assets to the Malaysian Anti-Corruption Commission (MACC) to ensure integrity in the government.
The chairman of the anti-graft body’s advisory panel, Puan Sri Zaitun Zawiyah Puteh, said today that Prime Minister Datuk Seri Najib Razak has agreed in principle to the requirement and hoped it would be implemented soon.
“Spouses and family members of those in the federal administration will also be required to do the same,” Star Online reported her as saying at MACC headquarters in Putrajaya.
“The family members will have to declare all their assets via a statutory declaration to make it easier for MACC to launch any investigations when needed.”
Today’s announcement comes just days after Chief Justice Tan Sri Arifin Zakaria said judges will soon be required to declare their assets in order to ensure judicial integrity.
The move, mooted on Sunday, is expected to affect judges of the Federal Court, Court of Appeal and High Court as well as Judicial Commissioners.
Penang Chief Minister Lim Guan Eng and state executive committee members had earlier declared their assets on Thursday as part of Pakatan Rakyat’s (PR) pledge to stay accountable to the public.
The federal opposition has called on Cabinet ministers to make their assets public and to adopt an open tender system for awarding contracts to prevent alleged cronyism.
Transparency International Malaysia (TI-M) has similarly urged all elected and public officials to make a full and public disclosure of assets upon assuming office.
