Daim: Integrity the top factor

A minister’s ethnic background should not matter, says CEP head

PETALING JAYA: A minister’s ethnicity should not matter as integrity is most important, says head of the Council of Eminent Persons (CEP) Tun Daim Zainuddin.

Commenting on DAP secretary-general Lim Guan Eng’s appointment as Finance Minister, Daim said Prime Minister Tun Dr Mahathir Mohamad had tried to “depoliticise” ministerial posts when he was in Umno.

However, some ambitious politi- cians, he said, used their ministerial posts to enhance their power.

“This time around, Dr Mahathir thinks it is best to choose someone who is neutral to hold the Finance Minister’s post.

“The minister’s post should not be used for political purposes.

“I think my friend Lim Guan Eng is unlikely to become the Prime Minister in the near future.

“I am quite sure he will help everyone genuinely,” he said in an interview with Nanyang Siang Pau.

“If he can do so, everyone will respect him,” he added.

Ministers, he said, should not discriminate against anyone, and that priority must be given to the poor regardless of race.

On the nation’s coffers, Daim said: “Where can we get revenue? We need to tax the rich. So, we encourage people to start their own businesses.

“The more successful their businesses are, the more revenue the country can get. The revenue can then be used to help the poor.”

Ministers, said Daim, would come under scrutiny from the rakyat.

Therefore, they would have to ensure that the people benefit.

Asked if Umno could make a comeback, Daim declined comment, but said that the important message was that voters could change the government through the ballot box.

“We have sent an important message to the world.

“A 93-year-old man has stood up and successfully changed the government through votes from the people.

“If everyone has such a wish, there will be justice in the country,” he said.