KUCHING: Corporate Affairs Assistant Minister Abdullah Saidol supports the special motion for all MPs, senators and immediate family members to declare their assets.
He said for as long it is within the law, and if the law allows it for the purpose of transparency, then there is nothing wrong with it.
“But it must not be for some political purposes. If it has political agenda, then it defeats the purpose,” he said during a dinner with the media organised by Sarawak Public Communications Unit (Ukas) at Grand Margherita Hotel, on Tuesday night.
He said the declaration of assets is not new in Sarawak as it was initiated by the late chief minister Pehin Sri Adenan Satem who requested state ministers and political secretaries to sign an integrity pledge against corruption.
“This was even strengthened by Chief Minister Datuk Patinggi Abang Johari Tun Openg who got state cabinet ministers to sign a pledge to be free of corruption.
“When he (Abang Johari) chaired the first Cabinet meeting, he surprised all the ministers by requesting them to sign a pledge to be free of corruption,” he said.
In that event, he said the signing of the pledge was witnessed by Minister in the Prime Minister’s Office and Malaysia Anti-Corruption Commission (Macc) chief.
“Sarawak is the first state in Malaysia to have an integrity pledge and a state that has placed trained certified integrity officers (CIOs) by MACC in all the state ministries.
“If you say this is for show, then you meet the MACC officers who are posted to the ministries,” he said.
On July 1, the Dewan Rakyat approved a special motion to compel all MPs, senators and their immediate family members to declare their assets.
Minister in the Prime Minister’s Department Datuk Liew Vui Keong, who tabled the motion, said MPs would be required to declare their assets as well as the assets of their spouses, and children aged 21 and below.
They are given from July 1 until Oct 1 to fill their declaration forms to be submitted to the Dewan Raykat speaker and MACC chief.
