‘Declaring assets means to uphold integrity’
KUCHING: The Sarawak government should follow in the footstep of the federal government in asking its cabinet ministers, assistant ministers, political secretaries and government officials to declare their assets to the chief minister.
In this respect, political secretary to chief minister Michael Tiang believes that it is time for the Sarawak government to take a step further following the integrity pledges signed before.
“Members of Sarawak Barisan Nasional Backbenchers Club and political secretaries were the first in Malaysia to sign the integrity pledge before the former chief minister, the late Pehin Sri Adenan Satem and former Malaysian Anti-Corruption Commission (MACC) chief commissioner Tan Sri Abu Kassim Mohamed in 2015.
“I fully support our government under the leadership of Chief Minister Datuk Patinggi Abang Johari Tun Openg to take a step further in asking its officials to declare their assets to the chief minister,” he said when prompted for comments on Prime Minister Tun Dr Mahathir Mohamad’s announcement on Friday, stating that cabinet ministers, deputy ministers, political secretaries and government officials must declare their assets to the prime minister.
Tiang, who is Sarawak United People’s Party (SUPP) Youth chief, believed that such a policy would help enhance public perception as well as the trust and confidence of the people in the Sarawak government.
“Although the prime minister is only asking federal ministers and officials to declare their assets to ensure their integrity while holding public offices, the same practice should be adopted by the Sarawak government.”
In his remarks, Tupong assemblyman Fazzrudin Abdul Rahman lauded the new government on such initiative.
“It is good to practise good initiatives that have been in practice before,” he said.
He said when Abang Johari succeeded Adenan, his cabinet signed an integrity pledge with the MACC, which went to show that Sarawak government remained committed in upholding integrity.
Fazzrudin said it would also be wise to limit the number of positions that a leader could hold as holding too many positions could lead to malpractice, abuse of power and even conflicts of interest.
“It (holding too many posts) will also hamper productivity or hinder production of good ideas for the benefit of an organisation.”
Fazzrudin said for government officials to uphold integrity by declaring their assets, it would help instil in the people the confidence in civil servants and the government of the day.
For Padungan assemblyman Wong King Wei, making it mandatory for federal ministers, deputy ministers and government officials to declare their assets would be ‘a good move by the PH federal government’.
“The integrity authority is privy to the information and MACC is given full power to take necessary action against those who are in suspicion,” he said.
Wong said the limit of a leader holding a maximum of five positions would help prevent them from growing very powerful – essential in practising clean governance.
In Sarawak, he said although ministers, assistant ministers and government officials had signed the integrity pledge, they were not asked to declare their assets.
As such, he challenged the Sarawak government to undertake this.
Wong recalled having raised during one of the past State Legislative Assembly (DUN) sittings, that the ‘State Secretary of Sarawak is over-powerful by holding tens of positions in government-linked corporations and statutory bodies’.
“The government should reduce and limit the power and positions held by the State Secretary.”
Wong said the State Secretary, with various positions being held presently, ‘is even more powerful than a minister who has the mandate of the people’.
“This is outrageously senseless as it destroys the democracy of the nation,” added Wong.
Meanwhile Assistant Minister of Local Government Datu Dr Penguang Manggil stressed that self-discipline and personal conscience must be upheld and practised in one’s undertakings.
“This (declaring assets) has been done before. To me, selfdiscipline and personal conscience are important in whatever we do.”
Penguang said that Sarawak cabinet members had signed the integrity pledge twice – once during Adenan’s time, and the other time early last year when Abang Johari assumed office.
In his opinion, Batu Kitang assemblyman Lo Khere Chiang said it would be right to expect officials to declare their assets.
The Padawan Municipal Council chairman said all councillors and staff members, including himself, had pledged to uphold integrity.
“Today, when information and records are so concisely documented and electronically monitored, there is no way citizens can run away unmonitored.
“Whatever properties, whether under individual or corporate names, are in the computer systems – our authorities can even have access to the money we have in our banks if investigation necessitates it.
“There is no way to run from the long arms of the laws these days,” he said.
Piasau assemblyman Datuk Sebastian Ting, who is also SUPP secretary-general, viewed the recent announcement of Dr Mahathir as ‘a continuation’ to what the previous government did.
“We had this before. When I was a political secretary to (former federal minister and former SUPP president) Tan Sri Peter Chin, I remember having declared my assets.
“At Sarawak level, they have signed the integrity pledge,” he said.
Ting believed that both declaring assets and signing the integrity pledge could help uphold integrity, which is in line with fighting corruption.