Zaid sceptical of MACC’s bid for Cabinet asset disclosures
“Declaring assets is one thing, but the MACC should have the power to ask, ‘How do you get all this?’“ he said of ministers clearly living beyond their means. “You don’t have to have evidence of corruption before you move in.”
By Yow Hong Chieh, The Malaysian Insider
KUALA LUMPUR, Aug 1 — Former de facto law minister Datuk Zaid Ibrahim today expressed doubt that the Malaysian Anti-Corruption Commission (MACC) chief commissioner can pull off his plan to get members of the Najib Administration to declare their assets publicly.
MACC chief commissioner Datuk Abu Kassim Mohamed yesterday told the 15th Malaysian Law Conference that declaration of assets was “very, very important” not only for Cabinet but the judiciary as well.
“I wish him luck,” Zaid told The Malaysian Insider.
The maverick politician said that when he had tried to push for the same during his tenure as law minister in Tun Abdullah Ahmad Badawi’s Cabinet, he received no support other than from the prime minister himself.
However, he declined to elaborate further on the opposition he faced from Cabinet, saying he cannot reveal what went on during Cabinet meetings.
“All I can say is, there was strong opposition from very senior ministers,” he said.
“I don’t see why there should be a change of mind now.”
No Barisan Nasional (BN) leader has yet to respond to Abu Kassim’s proposal which comes two years after Abdullah’s directive to Cabinet members to declare their assets in a bid to appease a public increasingly sceptical of BN’s capacity for reform following its historic losses in Election 2008.
Ministers and deputy ministers were required to fill in asset declaration forms with the MACC’s predecessor, the Anti-Corruption Agency (ACA), with the intention of making the information available online for public scrutiny.
However, Abdullah backed down from this plan after facing stiff opposition from ministers, who felt that it would be an invasion of privacy if the public knew their financial worth.
The Cabinet members now declare their assets to Prime Minister Datuk Seri Najib Razak annually but it is not made public.
Zaid also said that even if the MACC managed to get ministers to declare their assets, it would be ineffective in fighting corruption if not coupled with the power to compel explanation for unusual expenditures.
“Declaring assets is one thing, but the MACC should have the power to ask, ‘How do you get all this?’“ he said of ministers clearly living beyond their means.
“You don’t have to have evidence of corruption before you move in.”
He added that a declaration alone could amount to “another way of hiding” depending on how it was carried out.
“If it just a declaration, they will just say, ‘Oh, I already declared to the [prime] minister,’“ he said.
