Assets must be declared responsibly, not as a political gimmick, says PM

Prime Minister Anwar Ibrahim today said that the asset declarations of ministers must be made in a responsible and transparent manner, and not just as a political gimmick.

Anwar, who is also the finance minister, said he was in discussions with agencies including the Malaysian Anti-Corruption Commission to make the asset declaration processes more transparent.

"The declaration of assets was a farce in the past as far as I’m concerned. You can find people having hundreds of millions of ringgit and still declaring RM11 million or RM12 million. 

"So I think what we need to do is to make sure that the parameters are clear," he said when asked if his Cabinet members had declared their assets and when these could be made public, at a press conference in Putrajaya. 

Describing the matter as shocking, Anwar said some of the declarations did not represent the real wealth of the individual after further scrutiny of figures and files.

On the status of targeted subsidies, Anwar said follow-up action had been taken, such as for targeted electricity tariffs for the low- and medium-income groups, as well as those in the agricultural sector and small and medium industries.

"There has been action (on targeted subsidies). Even though the previous government announced an increase (in tariffs), we have cancelled the plan and taken a new approach. 

"We view seriously the auditor-general’s report on leakage and we have identified the problems in order to find solutions," he added.