UPP backs Malaysian AntiCorruption Commission vetting for potential GE14 candidates

KUCHING: The United People’s Party ( UPP) supports having candidates for the next 14th general election vetted by the Malaysian Anti- Corruption Commission ( MACC).

UPP president Dato Sri Wong Soon Koh said the vetting of candidates should be a ‘ basic step’ for all political parties.

“This should be done and be a basic step that has to be done to make the candidates totally qualified.

“We don’t want that halfway through, if there are malpractices, and the candidate is disqualified,” Wong said yesterday in response to MACC’s call for all political parties to submit the names of their candidates for vetting purposes.

He said, as far as UPP is concerned, all the party’s potential candidates for the parliamentary election have been vetted by the party.

“We have done that. We have submitted the names to Prime Minister ( Datuk Seri Najib Tun Razak) and Chief Minister ( Datuk Patinggi Abang Johari Tun Openg),” said Wong.

However, he declined to reveal the number of names submitted but said the list was submitted “sometime ago”.

UPP secretary-general George Lo said it would be good for the names of potential candidates, as well as political and personal secretaries to be submitted to the MACC and police for vetting purposes.

Lo suggested the probes should not only cover foreign citizenship, but also permanent residency in foreign countries.

“If anyone wishes to be a member of the federal or any state legislature, why should they also hold foreign permanent residency? If they hold foreign permanent residency, their loyalty and allegiance to our nation is questionable,” he stated.

MACC chief commissioner Tan Sri Zulkif li Ahmad was quoted by Bernama as saying although there is no law or compulsion for political parties to do so, vetting would be done to ensure the candidates are clean and not tainted by corruption and abuse of power.