COMMENT | Non-negotiable asset declaration for all MPs

COMMENT | On Sept 2, 2024, Perikatan Nasional chief whip Takiyuddin Hassan said the government laid out several conditions for PN MPs to receive financial allocations for their constituencies.

Among the conditions is an obligation for all opposition members to declare their assets, a condition Takiyuddin (above) criticised on the basis that opposition MPs are not part of the government administration.

The Center to Combat Corruption and Cronyism (C4 Center) demands that asset declaration requirements should apply to all MPs, and should not be used as a tool for political manoeuvring.

Asset declaration is a vital aspect of clean and transparent governance. In principle, politicians must not use their office for personal gain or the accumulation of wealth for their political parties’ interests.

Therefore, asset declaration is a crucial way in which politicians, as representatives of the electorate, can be held accountable and be subject to public inquiry should there be unjustified or disproportionate wealth in their possession, and further serves as a deterrent factor against these acts.

Most importantly, asset declaration should be...