PETALING JAYA: Prime Minister Anwar Ibrahim has been urged to introduce an Asset Declaration Act as part of his reform agenda.
Anti-corruption group Transparency International Malaysia (TI-M) said the legislation will compel MPs and senators to declare their assets, liabilities and income on a regular basis.
It said this would ensure good governance and eradicate corruption among elected representatives and senators.
TI-M said that under the legislation, politicians who have “grown their wealth significantly within a short period” must be compelled to provide an explanation with the necessary supporting documents.
It said it is equally important that these politicians include information related to the beneficial ownership of assets to avoid the practice of colluding with a friendly party to avoid detection.
TI-M also highlighted the reluctance of politicians to declare their assets by citing privacy and security reasons. It reminded them that they chose to be elected representatives, and therefore, were expected to be transparent in their actions.
“One of these practices is to make full, truthful disclosure of their assets and income when required. Wealth earned from an honest living should be a source of pride, not a concern,” it said.
A similar push for an asset declaration law was made by the Center to Combat Corruption and Cronyism (C4) last year after then prime minister Ismail Sabri Yaakob introduced an asset declaration policy that was limited to heads of GLCs and GLICs, as well as members of the judiciary.