Malaysian Prime Minister Mahathir Mohamad (Photo: Kyodo/VNA) Kuala Lumpur (VNA) – Malaysian Prime Minister Mahathir Mohamad on July 10 required that his Cabinet members declare their wealth and refuse gifts of more value than perishable food and flowers.
This requirement applies to the entire Government, including Mahathir himself and members of the Parliament. A deadline for asset declaration to the Malaysian Anti-Corruption Commission (MACC) will be announced soon. The Malaysian Government was still assessing how much information could be made public.
No elected representative of his political party Pakatan Harapan (PH) had made declarations to the MACC so far.
Mahathir said that officials are in the midst of formulating laws and ways of administration that can reduce, or possibly even eradicate, corruption in Malaysia.
He added that the PH Government was also mulling over whether to make it compulsory for family members of elected representatives to also declare their assets to the country’s anti-corruption agency.
Malaysian lawmakers are also drafting a law to ensure political parties do not return favours to financial donors that support them.
The Malaysian PM said corruption could only be successfully curbed if the top leaders in Government were truly free from corrupt practices.
Speaking to reporters, he voiced his hope that the press will help Government agencies overcome corruption.
Last week, former Malaysian PM Najib Razak was charged with several counts of criminal breach of trust and corruption related to the state fund 1Malaysia Development Berhad (1MDB). Najib has consistently denied any wrongdoing and entered a not guilty plea on all the charges. -VNA
